All That Counts
by Aviantei
Summary: He went to offer her a job, but instead of an answer, he caught a glimpse of a world he had no way to learn about. Two years later, she bursts back into his life and his crime scene. Case first, questions later, but these secrets don't wait. YumihikoxOC
1. Prologue: Playing with Lightning

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Prologue: Playing with Lightning

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><p>April 5, 2019, 3:49 PM<p>

Big Tower, Deliberation Room

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><p>"Whoa, this is awesome."<p>

Light green eyes looked through glasses at the sight in front of their owner. The girl stared intently for a moment, combing over every single detail she could gather. Seeming satisfied—or maybe unsatisfied as she was frowning—she reached out to touch the object of interest, possibly to move it around for the purpose of furthering the observation.

And that was when the shock wore off.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

A gloved hand clamped over the shoulder of the girl, and surprise halted her movements. The green eyes stared up at an opposing light brown pair, the eyebrows above furrowed in irritation. Whoever the outspoken boy was, he was angry, and it took an apparent amount of effort on the part of the girl to understand why. Having one of their number speak up was enough for the rest of the group to finally react properly to the intrusion, although no one actually spoke a word as the answer to the previously shouted question was one that no one wanted to miss.

"Sorry, sorry, I just got so worked up that I forgot it's not my place to investigate these things. Least not yet." The girl spoke with an accent, words tinted in a British tone. She stood up, dusting of her pants from the time spent kneeling on the ground. It was lucky that blood was lacking, considering the majority of her pants were white. The top half of the fabric covering her thighs was the only deviation, being colored a dark brown. A light jacket of the same color was open at the front, showing off an orange undershirt. The girl gave off a nervous laugh, making the short ponytail on the right side of her head bounce in stripes of blonde and a green that matched her eyes. "Since I didn't touch it, though, we should be fine, right? Eh heh. But, wow, a real dead body…"

Choosing to ignore the last comment, the boy continued to seethe in irritation. "That may be the case, but it doesn't explain what you're even doing here! This is a crime scene! It is not a place for children!" The comment was pushing it, considering the two appeared to be about the same age, but the girl seemed to be more concerned with the baton that had suddenly pointed into her face. From there, she moved on to observe its wielder.

His hair matched his eyes in color, but not in seriousness. It stuck out to the sides in small waves, complete with a small question mark-shaped ahoge at the top. His ensemble was blue and similar in style to a male Japanese school uniform, save for the red suit jacket draped over his shoulders like a cape.

There was a moment of silence between the two as they stared at each other.

"You bloody little git, I bet I'm older than you! Besides, I'm nineteen, so I haven't been able to be considered a child for years!"

"Putting age aside, that is irrelevant when you compare it to qualifications! _I_ happen to be a first-rate prosecutor, which I doubt you are!"

"You can't be all that impressive considering you're being drawn into a childish argument by someone you don't even deem worthy to set foot on a crime scene!"

"If I didn't provide a handicap by lowering myself to your level, you wouldn't be able to comprehend your own loss!"

"Enough!" The teenagers started at the intrusion of the new voice before turning to its source. A woman wearing a black dress styled after judge's robes and trimmed with red stepped forward from the small group of onlookers, pointing a gavel with an extendable handle towards them. It was greatly reminiscent to how the boy had brandished his baton at the girl.

"Miss, while you certainly are in territory you are not permitted to be in, and your actions have been questionable, you do not deserve the rude greeting you have been given. I am Judge Mikagami Hakari, and I would greatly appreciate it if you would introduce yourself and explain your reasoning for coming here. But first…" The gavel was turned exclusively on the boy, and Mikagami's expression read a combination of anger and disappointment, "Honestly, you know better. Introduce yourself properly."

The boy seemed to be on the urge of crying while nearly bending his baton in half, but quickly abandoned the activity in favor of wiping away his tears. The smirk followed back into place moments after.

"I am Ichiyanagi Yumihiko, Ace Prosecutor!"

The girl seemed unimpressed by the declaration, almost looking like she focusing on something else. Moments later, she nodded to herself, the beginnings of a smile forming.

"Well, if that's the case, I'm Nora Heather-Blossom Southway, future medical examiner!" The smile came into full bloom as a thumb pointed to the corpse behind her. "And you don't have to take my word on it, but I think there's more to your victim's death here than that gaping wound in her chest."

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><p>June 17, 2021<p>

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><p>"You need to stop that habit of intruding on crime scenes without authorization."<p>

"We wouldn't have this problem if you were at your office like you were supposed to be."

"We wouldn't have that problem if you had contacted me beforehand."

"If I had done that, I wouldn't be here at all!"

"I hope you realize that makes absolutely no sense!"

"Oh, like your new outfit does!"

"Enough! You two can resolve these issues later!"

"The man's right! This is not the time to deal with your sexual tensions!"

"Um… I… I don't think that's what he meant…"

"You sure? Cause it sounded like it…"

"I said enough! This is a crisis situation; we don't have the time for helpless discussions of any kind, is that understood?"

And then the second window exploded into a shower of glass, the responsible bullet lodging itself into the opposite wall.

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><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

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><p>And prologue complete! This is my first published <em>Ace Attorney<em> fanfiction (and my first fanfiction published in a _long_ time), so I hope it's enjoyable among all the other great _AA_ fics there are.

So, I guess certain notes are in order. There are _Gyakuten Kenji 2_ spoilers here, but they are very vague and only really refer to the fourth case. They are also very rare, as there is a plot that's two years past said game. However, references to characters are used, particularly since the male protagonist is, in fact, a _GK2_ character. That being said, all _GK2_ references are based off of what I've read off of the Ace Attorney wikia and what little Japanese I understand, so if I screw something up (even stupid little things) tell me so I can fix it!

All Japanese names have the family name first, while English, etc. names have the family name last.

Also, this is my first time writing a mystery/crime story of any kind, so if something doesn't make sense, I definitely wanna know so I can fix it. In short, all constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, particularly since I'm in a writing mood and would like to improve myself as an author while it lasts and I actually have time to write.

This story will also be updated weekly, so look out for an update every Monday!

I think that's enough babbling for now. See ya when the first chapter goes up next week!


	2. Chapter 1: No One Else Can See

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter One: No One Else Can See

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><p>May 11, 2019, 4:28 PM<p>

Southway Residence, Nora's Room

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><p><em>Focus.<em>

Her brain was fuzzy, despite the large amount of sleep she had gotten. Nora Heather-Blossom Southway (the whole name was hers and her existence—the middle being the only distinction between her and—and she refused to be referred to as less) was in the middle of trying to get the massive amount of homework done, but had hit a roadblock and ended up sleeping the previous say away. She had tried taking on simpler tasks to work herself up to the paper she needed to complete and wasn't going to take it all on at once, but it was still too intimidating a task for her to even start on, let alone finish.

_Focus, dammit._

She couldn't even bring herself to pull up the word processer that held her rough draft, even if it was only to make the corrections suggested by her professor, which wasn't hard at all. She already had six of the ten pages written from preparation exercises, so coming up with an additional four should have been nothing. Nora was even extremely confident that she had enough material to write what was on her mind and finish the assignment well. It was just getting started.

_Focus, you little twit._

Hesitantly, Nora opened up the document and waited for the program to respond. Not wanting to lose motivation in the wait, she pulled the corrected papers out as well, staring at the inked notes of her professor's script. Her computer soon showed the edit-ready version as well, but she couldn't bring herself to start typing.

_Wanker._

A small knock at the door jostled Nora from her lightly insulting train of thought. Recognizing the pattern of knocking as belonging to one of the servants (her father had gone so far as to give each group a different knocking pattern so he could know who was intruding or if it was a servant at all), she decided it would be best to respond. After all, the last time she had ignored one the entire house had gone up in arms thinking she was missing when in reality she had just been researching some proxy dissection samples with earphones in.

Nora spun her chair around to face the door so her voice would carry better. "What is it?" she asked, noting just how dark the rest of the room was with the curtains drawn and only her computer on. She had thought blocking out all other distractions would help her focus better, but the resulting effect really just made her sleepy.

"Mistress Nora, you have a visitor," the maid called back without opening the door. Nora was grateful; surely she'd get another scolding for taking any more chances with her already impaired eyes. "Would you like for me to send them up or are you too busy?"

Nora considered the situation for a moment, not knowing what to do. She's more than likely end up not getting anything done if the guest came in, but she wasn't really getting anywhere this way either. Besides, the only person that ever really visited frequently was Ema, and she could probably provide some help in a situation like this. "You can send them up," she decided before thinking of something to add, "and bring us some snacks as well." Nora smiled, thinking of her friend's penchant for snacking.

"Yes, milady," the maid replied, her voice followed by retreating footsteps. Nora pushed her chair away from her desk so she could drop it back into its recliner position. Once she was settled, she stared up at the dimly lit ceiling waiting for Ema's entrance. Soon enough the door opened, and someone spoke afterwards.

"Southway-san?" came the voice, and it was decidedly not Ema's, let alone female. Nora shot up in her seat—it had been _months_ since she had heard it, and that was in another _country _for Pete's sake, what the bloody hell was he _doing_—and walked over to the guardrail that protected someone on the top half of the room from falling down to the main level. Seeing the familiar silhouette in the doorway, she backed up to where her bed was before he could see her.

_Ichiyanagi Yumihiko._

Over a month and a half ago, on break from school, she had been convinced by Ema to take a trip to America. Since she had really just been planning to hang around in the morgue that hosted her part-time job the entire time, she consented to go, as long as they took a stop at some American morgues and autopsy tables when they got the chance. Considering Ema had been planning on visiting some Forensic units herself, it wasn't that hard of a deal to make.

Nora had missed out on the involvement Ema had had with an incident at Gatewater Land by being in a separate part of the park, but she hadn't been as lucky the next time. Nora had been able to meet the prosecutor Ema often went on about, and even had gained some live experience in what it was like to look at a fresh corpse on a crime scene. However, in that same day, she had also met the boy now standing in her bedroom doorway.

He hadn't really shown any interest in her other than their initial argument, but Nora had been curious about him for some unexplainable reason. Sure, he was pompous—a real twat at times, to be honest—but he was more than that. Simply put, he was a real crybaby once you broke past the stuck-up attitude, which didn't take much. For some reason or another Nora had been drawn to this contradiction of emotions to the point of forming a small friendship with the boy.

However, she was _not_ curious enough to want him to show up in her room, an endeavor that required an international trip no matter how you looked at it. This was ridiculous beyond imagination.

Nora heard the door shut and hoped that he had just_ left_, but didn't move, just in case. "Southway-san?" There went that theory. Great, now she was alone with a boy in her room in the _dark_ of all things. "Southway-san, why is it so dark in here? Are you alright?" Nora held her breath, really hoping he would leave. She didn't want to talk to him. Besides, it wasn't like she could be his only reason for flying to England, after all. He may be dense at times, but Ichiyanagi Yumihiko wasn't _that_ stupid. "Oh, surely there's a light switch somewhere…"

Nora had to admit that his worried muttering was a bit cute, but she wasn't going to allow herself to become distracted. Luckily enough there wasn't much light that came from her laptop screen that would be visible on the lower level, and she was far too stubborn to use her lamp for anything other than a pencil holder.

"If you didn't want to see me, Southway-san, you could have just turned me away at the door…" Nora barely heard what Ichiyanagi was saying since his voice was quiet, but she could tell tears were starting to form from the sound his words gave off. She felt her heart clench a little at the fact, but at the same time hoped it would be enough for him to just leave.

And then there was the sound of one of the maids knocking on the door, bearing the snacks she had requested.

Nora cursed out loud, knowing for sure there would be some lecture and reduction of privileges if she was found with one of her guests crying. Ichiyanagi said her name again, but Nora was too busy flicking on the light switch housed on the upper level before trying to pull her hair up into its usual short side ponytail to try and make herself look presentable. She then slid down the stair rail to reach the lower level, grabbed a surprised Ichiyanagi by his shoulders, seated him on the small couch set surrounding the coffee table Nora only used for guests and watching the telly, wiped his tears off as quickly as she could, then sat down opposite to him.

Ichiyanagi started to ask something, but Nora was too busy trying to address the servant at the door without sounding too out of breath. Once the door opened the two fell into awkward silence while the servant sat out the snacks, which Nora got a disapproving look for. After all, she was nineteen and should have been the perfect lady of the house by now, not being unprepared for guests, and sitting in silence, and ignoring them just because they weren't whom you expected, and making them cry, and—

_I hate it._

"Southway-san… is something wrong?" Ichiyanagi asked, at the very least having enough tact to wait until the servant left the room. Nora really wanted to explain everything right then and there for whatever reason—the failed attempts at the pressing amounts of assignments she needed to get done, the pressures of being a perfect lady when she was in the house, all of the expectations ever since—

Instead, Nora smiled, folding her hands in her lap in the way she was trained. Sure, she wasn't exactly up to the par of welcoming guests when it came to her clothes with the old pajama pants and hoodie, but she could at least make up for it in behavior. "I assure you, everything's fine, Mr. Ichiyanagi," she lied in the perfect tones. "I apologize for my rude behavior earlier. I… I was caught off guard when you arrived instead of whom I expected and reacted to the situation poorly. I hope that I may beg your forgiveness."

Ichiyanagi appeared to be studying her intently, but if he gained anything from it, he said nothing to the fact. "Don't worry about it. I should have announced to you that I would be coming… Am… Am I interrupting anything, by chance?" He finally seemed to catch onto the fact that Nora was aware that he was staring and began to toss his eyes around the room in a futile (yet somewhat adorable) attempt to make it seem like he wasn't.

"Only some fruitless efforts, so don't feel bad about it," Nora reassured, trying not to think too hard about the paper and all the less progress she was now making. It just made her thoughts spiral into— "Would you care for some refreshments? Also, may I be as bold as to inquire why you've come all this way?" Not waiting for Ichiyanagi's response, she went to retrieve some of the snacks for herself, hoping she could use eating as a way to get out of talking if the conversation went sour.

The boy paused for a few moments before picking up the provided teapot with his gloved hands and pouring himself a cup. He seemed to hesitate before speaking, but that was nothing new when he was unnerved, so Nora thought nothing more of it. "I… Southway-san, I came to offer you a job," he stated, actually looking her in the eye. Something in her expression must have shifted extremely, though, because his brown eyes quickly shifted to stare down into his teacup.

"I…" Nora shifted uncomfortably in her seat, taking a bite of the small pie she had collected for herself. The sweet taste of cherries and sugar did nothing for the bitter flavor that was already present. "While I do appreciate the offer, Mr. Ichiyanagi, I feel as if I should remind you that I am currently a mere university student. Whatever position you're offering me, I highly doubt I qualify for…"

"That's alright!" Ichiyanagi exclaimed, moving suddenly and almost spilling the tea on his clothes. He blushed a little, lightly putting down the cup before resuming. "I… That is, we… Well, Prosecutor Edgeworth, Mikagami, and I all agree that you have a talent for autopsy work! After all, you did so well with the body with no actual equipment! So what we're doing is offering you a position for the future! You-you don't have to accept now, but after a few years we won't be able to guarantee the position… but we should be able to hold out until you graduate from university! You… This is the job you want, right, Southway-san?"

Nora tried not to crush the remains of the pie in her hands out of pressure, but wasn't doing so well. She quickly placed it in her mouth to prevent incident and wiped her hands on her pants in a decidedly unladylike manner. She took a few slow bites before swallowing, never once looking Ichiyanagi in the eye. He had seemed so excited about the prospect that she had wanted to agree immediately before she remembered the situation.

She wanted to take the job more than anything. All she had wanted ever since she was little was to have the same profession as her mother, and the chance was right there. But she was barely reaching the expectations placed on her, and at the rate things were going, she may even lose the privilege to study at the university anymore. And even if that weren't the case, there was no way she would be allowed to take a job in _America_ of all places. After all, her life couldn't be rationed from that far away, no matter how hard he tried. It had been pushing it for her to take the vacation there.

"T… Thank you very much for the offer, Mr. Ichiyanagi, but… I don't think I can accept," Nora stated, staring down at the perfectly folded hands on her lap. "There are… I mean… I can't… I… I…" She stopped talking to take a couple of deep breaths. There was no way she could cry in front of a guest; that was endangering the already delicate balance she was in further.

"Southway-san, that's _enough_!" The last word was accented with a small _twack_ as Ichiyanagi's baton hit the side of the coffee table. Nora had no idea when he had gotten it out, but that was to be expected when you didn't even look at your conversation partner. Despite the fact, she stared in amazement with the beginnings of tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

"I don't know what's going on here, but you aren't acting like yourself! The Southway-san I met would have jumped on this opportunity in a chance! She wouldn't be holding herself back, she wouldn't talk like this, and she most certainly wouldn't be crying like she was just given something she really wants but is unable to take! So tell me what's going on! Nora!"

Watching Ichiyanagi tear up over her sake was almost enough, but the use of her first name made Nora burst into tears. She tried to hide it by using her hands to cover her face, even though she knew it would be useless to try and hide something like that from this boy of all people.

_This is such a stupid time for him to actually use my first name…_

"Nora, I'm sorry!" Ichiyanagi exclaimed, moving over to stand beside her, obviously clueless as to how to comfort her. "I… I didn't mean to say anything to upset you or anything. I was just trying to get you to be honest with yourself, I swear. Achhammer-san says the worst thing you can do is lie to yourself about what you want and… Nora… Please don't cry!"

Nora reached up from covering her face and pulled the unsuspecting prosecutor down into a hug. "Y… Yumi, just…" she started, using the nickname she had taken to in America. Her voice was clogged with tears, but she had the feeling that whatever was pulling her to this boy wasn't stupid. "Yumi, shh…"

And in a voice just as teary as hers, Yumihiko answered, "Alright…"

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><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

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><p>I totally did not almost forget I needed to post this, not at all...<p>

Well, anyway, first actual chapter. The initial bunch of chapters are an introductory phase to introduce characters and sorta background before the real fun hits. That's pretty much it.

This week has sucked for finding proper time for writing and homework (_The World Ends with You_ ate my sleep and soul), but there's no need to worry about the next chapter as it's already written. Tomorrow's gonna be one of those days where I try to get as much done as possible, as will be the rest of the week. Wish me luck~!


	3. Chapter 2: Stars Come Out

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter Two: Stars Come Out

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><p>May 11, 2019, 5:16 PM<p>

Southway Residence, Nora's Room

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><p>It took Nora a good amount of time to stop crying, and Yumihiko couldn't bring himself to ask what was wrong, during nor after. The fact that she had told him to be quiet was enough, but it was also that he didn't want to risk having the girl burst into tears again if he asked. Additionally, she had reverted back to herself once the tears had stopped, and it wasn't the proper-speaking and stiff Nora either. She was exactly like he remembered from when they first met, slightly bubbly and talkative.<p>

That was once the two teenagers had properly detangled themselves from their rather impromptu hug. Several adjustments during the crying process had led to an entanglement of limbs that was beyond embarrassing to the young prosecutor, and the awkward silence that followed didn't help either. At least it seemed like Nora was equally affected, considering the color of her face in the aftermath.

But her recovery from there went quite smoothly, and soon they were talking about their lives in the past few months. Nora talked about her university classes for a while, mentioning the courses she was taking and a few misadventures with Ema in one of their forensics lab assignments before turning the conversation on him. She was careful with her wording, but Yumihiko ignored the fact that she was essentially asking how he had been holding up ever since—

_Ichiyanagi Bansai._

The thought of the name really sent chills down his spine, but he had gotten over the fact that people were going to say it over and over. It had taken a whole month for the Prosecutor's office to recover from the shock and loss of the Head of the Prosecutorial Investigation Committee, not to mention additional inquiry had been required in order to fully prepare for the man's trial in the higher court to determine his sentence. Although Prosecutor Edgeworth and Achhammer-san had tried to keep him out of it, Yumihiko had refused.

He had been devastated by his father's actions. But he still respected and appreciated Bansai for everything he had done for him. And with that in mind, he worked to be the person he had been taught to be, strong and determined. Once the decision had been made, even Achhammer-san had relented and convinced Prosecutor Edgeworth to do the same. It had taken all he had, and he still had gone home and cried almost every night over it, but the investigation and trials were over and the sentence—

Even thinking about it made Yumihiko clench his gloved hands ever so slightly on his lap, but he still smiled and told Nora about how things had been in the months after that. He had found another prosecutor to properly train under considering his rather limited skills in the field, and both Mikagami and Achhammer-san had been helping, too. He had even been making friends with Kay Faraday and a few others. He didn't say anything about the sadness he had when he looked in the mirror to see his prosecutor's badge his father had helped him earn, how he would stop whatever he was doing whenever the name was mentioned by someone, the nightmares that had lessened in frequency but still scared him just the same as the first one had—

It was an act, really. He wanted to talk about it, spill everything out until there was nothing left inside of him to this girl, and then cry until he couldn't do that anymore, either. But the simple fact was that she was putting on a show as well, and he didn't like the idea of forcing his problems on top of hers. That wasn't what he had come here for. He had come to offer Nora a job and possibly see some of the sights, and that was that. Once that was done he would fly back to California and get back to work. He'd still be sad, he'd still freeze up, he'd still have nightmares, but that was fine.

He was going to get stronger. He had promised himself that. So everything was fine the way it was for now, because it would all get better in time. It was fine.

Even if it really wasn't.

Ultimately, though, the conversation was interrupted by a knock at the door. Nora started a little and looked at the large digital wall clock for the time in an instant, although Yumihiko didn't get why. She gave a sheepish grin in his direction, cheeks slightly turning red. "So, um, Yumi…" she started, failing at her words the same way he did when he was nervous. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but… Wanna stay for dinner?" There was another knock at the door that Nora furrowed her eyebrows at. "We're not gonna eat for a while, but if you don't mind the wait…"

"Um…" Yumihiko replied in a similar manner. He really hadn't even intended to stay in the house this long—just go in, offer the job, get an answer, leave—but that had already gone out the window when he saw her. She had been haphazardly thrown together, but Nora was still able to pull him in without even doing anything. Trying to construct a better reason than that—_I want to actually meet her parents cause I'm curious, yeah, that sounds good_—he finally decided to nod. "I… I'd love to…"

"Oh… Okay… Okay, yeah!" Nora's words came out slightly disjointed, but she still nodded. Another knock came at the door, to which the girl stood up and walked towards the entrance. Yumihiko turned around just in time to see the door open to another servant, who came in the take away the tray of snacks they had been halfway ignoring throughout the conversation. When Nora went to speak again, her voice was in the same professional tone she had been using earlier. "Pardon, but could you assure that the cooks are aware that we'll be having a guest for dinner?"

The servant took on a startled expression and snuck a look at Yumihiko before returning to a more professional stance. Yumihiko slightly worried that he didn't look like a proper house guest, but kept his mouth shut. He had been learning to hold off on speaking his first thoughts, since his conclusions were usually wrong and his worries unwarranted. Maybe Nora just didn't have too many house guests over, or maybe it was because he was a guy instead of that one Skye girl or…

"Of course, milady," the servant responded, breaking the boy out of his thoughts. "Please don't forget that if you're having a guest over you should dress properly for the occasion, milady…"

Nora looked like she wanted to scold the servant for thinking she was that forgetful, but ended up not saying anything of the sort. Yumihiko found the action odd, considering the way the power should have leveled-out between the two, not to mention how Nora would have responded to anyone else. "Rest assured that I understand the protocol for such an event. Additionally…" There was some barely present hesitation, but no one said anything about it. "Please make sure that they are aware that the guest is not Ema, so they need not prepare for that, and… I would also like to have you clear the event with Father as well…"

There was a response of understanding from the servant before they exited, and Nora let out a sigh of relief soon after sinking back onto the couch. She smiled to Yumihiko, and he returned the favor even if he wasn't fully feeling it at the moment.

He hadn't been reacting so well to the word "father" recently, but what had made it worse was the way Nora had said it, like she was just afraid as he had been.

* * *

><p>It turned out not thinking about it made him feel better, even if that was hard once Nora took off to take some form of bath, since she apparently had yet to do so that day. Yumihiko's mind definitely wandered during that period of time, but since Nora had told him to make himself at home; he figured it wouldn't hurt to look around the room. The main level was limited to the couch and table they had been sitting at, although the couch actually was a set that formed a U around said table and provided a decent view of the large flat screen television. There was another door on the opposite wall that led into a rather large walk-in closet, so the boy shut the door almost as soon as he had opened it.<p>

He decided to take a look at the higher level instead, trekking up the set of stairs that was opposite to the room's entrance. The space was substantially less organized than its lower counterpart, with blankets and some clothes tossed over the floor. A small line of books was set up at the back of the plain desk, along with an open laptop and small notebook with lines highlighted in different colors. Yumihiko took a look at the list, noting that it contained school assignments and that it seemed as if a large number of time consuming projects were due soon. He felt a sudden pang of guilt at barging in on what he guessed to have been her study time—what had she said, "fruitless efforts"?

Shaking it off, Yumihiko turned his attention to tidying up out of habit, considering he didn't have much else to do while waiting. He gathered up the blankets and stacked up the books that were in a disjointed pile by the bedside, bypassing putting them on the bookshelf opposite the desk in case Nora wanted them for easy access while lying in bed. Actually starting on the process of making the bed, the young prosecutor took note of the posters on the wall in front of him showing off different diagrams of the body. Some were clearly new, probably purchased for class, but others were faded from age, almost as if Nora had been collecting them since she was child.

Of course, that made sense, considering how enthusiastic she was about the science. He could easily imagine a younger Nora, larger glasses and non-dyed hair flipping through some children's book about the human body with the same joy she had expressed at staring down an actual corpse in America. Curious, Yumihiko looked around the rest of room to see what else she had, seeing more posters, some actual crime scene pictures with their matching autopsy reports beside them and—

_Skeleton._

Yumihiko jumped, not making a noise, but instead silently tearing up. He had never done so well with horror and haunted houses, and this was just like something out of one. Forcing himself to breathe and think logically, Yumihiko considered the situation. This was a skeleton for sure, but it wasn't there to scare anyone. Nora probably had gotten it for study, and it seemed like she had spent a lot of money of it. It wasn't the standard model skeleton; there were a number of scratches and marks on it, almost like it was designed to have some of the bones previously broken and healed. It was borderline a work of art. Curious, Yumihiko slipped off one of his gloves and reached out to the arm, sliding his fingers over the nicks and marks there before pausing.

_This is—_

"Yumi, you up there?" Nora's voice called, and Yumihiko jumped again. He had gotten so distracted by the skeleton that he had apparently missed the door opening. Quickly slipping his glove back on, Yumihiko walked over to the railing to see Nora smiling. She was wearing a dress, the same light green that streaked through her blond hair and matched her eyes. "Sorry I left you alone, but I didn't expect you to venture up there. To be honest, I figured I'd come back to you watching the telly or something…"

The thought really hadn't crossed Yumihiko's mind, considering the television hadn't been a big source of entertainment for him in his childhood. It was always homework and studying, especially when he started on the path to become a prosecutor and—

_Wow._ Nora was really pretty when she dressed up, now that he had a closer look at her. Not only was she wearing formal clothes, but she had also pulled her hair back into a small bun instead of the (messy) side pony tail it had been in earlier. Absentmindedly, Yumihiko pulled his baton out of his pocket to extend and contract it repeatedly.

Nora put her hand on the baton, stopping the process, still smiling. "Whatcha working yourself up for there, Yumi?" she asked, taking the baton and twirling it around in her fingers. She paused to consider while looking up at the ceiling with a contemplative put on her face. "Honestly, it's just dinner…"

"I know that," Yumihiko stated, his voice sounding indignant. "You honestly don't think I'm working myself up over something as simple as that, do you? I am perfectly capable of handling myself properly, thank you very much." He tried to think of a way to ask for his baton back without losing his momentum, but there wasn't a way to do that without sounding either pathetic or rude. Despite his best attempts, Yumihiko still lost his momentum when Nora started giggling at him, putting a hand over her mouth to try and hide it. "_What?_" the prosecutor demanded, feeling his face turn red. At least it was better than crying.

"Sorry, sorry, but goddammit, Yumi, it's just so bloody cute when you act all tough…" Nora apologized, letting out a few more giggles before they tapered off. She resumed spinning the baton. "Ah, I'll have to control myself, considering it's probably best of you act that way around Father. Maybe you'll impress him…"

"What's so funny about it?" Yumihiko ended up protesting, face still red. His eyes were starting to sting, but he tried not to focus on it too much. He also really wished she hadn't taken his baton; fiddling with it really calmed his nerves. "You don't think I can be strong?" he asked, feeling slightly disheartened. Sure, he had Achhammer-san to believe in him, but he had honestly hoped that Nora would, too.

The baton stopped dead in its tracks and Nora stared at him. Hard. "Of course I believe in you, Yumi, what makes you think I don't?" She smiled softly, contracting the baton and putting it back into his hands. "I just think that when you learn to be strong on your own, it's going to be completely different than how you were before, that's all. And since I know what you're really like, seeing that attitude is, well… You know…"

There was a knock at the door, and Nora quickly pulled her hands away from Yumihiko's, turning around too quickly for the boy to be sure if she was blushing or not. "Th-that's the knock for dinner, come on…" she said just as absentmindedly as Yumihiko followed her. He tucked his baton away in his pocket, not really thinking about anything else, save for one thought.

_Nora believes in me._

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><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

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><p>Way to go me, forget to post. I've been just fine with schoolwork, but for some reason I can't get down to writing like I want to (It's the video games...). But I'm trying to get myself caught up with everything so I don't get so mixed up and forget to post... Wish me luck~<strong><br>**


	4. Chapter 3: Take By the Hand

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter Three: Take By the Hand

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><p>May 11, 2019, 5:48 PM<p>

Southway Residence, Hallway

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><p>Nora felt like she was going to throw up, which wasn't exactly something she could consider during dinner. Especially since it was <em>her<em> guest, there was no room for the mistakes that had been scattering throughout her performance lately. Generally something like this was usually suggested by her father as a chance to show that she wasn't completely useless as a lady of the house, this was without warning. While such a thing might gain her some additional points if it went well, screwing it up was out of the question. The possibility that she had just gotten a glimpse of would definitely be gone then.

Yumihiko had offered her a job—_the_ job, really—and while the chances of convincing her father at the moment that she should be allowed to take it were nonexistent, it didn't matter. She wanted to be like her mother so bad that she was going to try her damnedest to do whatever it took. Of course it wouldn't be that simple, considering her father was only one obstacle, but _still…_

Nora walked down the hall, back straight, and took confident strides behind the servant that had come to lead them to dinner. She had taken much longer in getting ready than usual, making sure nothing was out of place. The dress was uncomfortable and more than a bit stiff in places from lack of use, but it was easy enough to put up with. At the very least she had to keep her head up so Yumihiko wouldn't worry about her too much.

The young prosecutor was playing with his baton again, although this time he had reverted back to bending it like Nora had seen so many times back in America. It was surprising to see the gesture without tears, but it still showed how nervous he was. Even so, Nora couldn't help but think that he was still trying his hardest to get over it.

_He's trying so hard to get stronger and I…_ What had she done in the past few months? Nothing much other than get overwhelmed by some ridiculous school assignments and disappoint her father. Yumihiko on the other hand had apparently had some resolution push him into improving himself. True, Nora hadn't had anything world shattering to push her into doing so, like learning that she had been raised and molded to fit needs and nothing more, but she should have done something about it anyway, considering how unhappy she was about her situation.

Her mother was gone. She was a disappointment to her father. Not to mention—

Nora stopped the train of thought with a shake of her head. That last point wasn't an issue at the moment, so there was no need to work herself up over it. All it would do was add extra stress, when all she really needed to worry about was acting properly during dinner. That was an easy enough task on its own, so when they finally approached the dining room, Nora's stomach was quite stable, with only traces of nerves coursing through her system.

She smiled at Yumihiko, who did his best to smile back. She reached out for his baton for the second time, once again slipping it out of his fingers. He started to protest, but Nora just shook her head. "I believe in you, Yumi, there's no need to work yourself up over it, okay?" she assured. "It's only dinner."

Yumihiko looked like he wanted to say something else, but instead plucked the baton back, wielding it as he always did when he was in a confident mood. "There's no need to concern yourself with me," he stated with a smirk. "After all, I'm first-rate in everything I do, and dinner is no exception." The baton poked at her chest, and Yumihiko's expression switched into a smile. "You said it's best if I act like that, right?"

Nora blinked a bit at the sudden change, but ultimately nodded. "Yea, as long as you keep that up, you'll do fine." It was getting a bit difficult to ignore to look she was getting from the servant, so Nora made a mental reminder to fix her speech patterns. "Well, if we keep standing here, we're going to be late. Shall we go?"

Still smiling, Yumihiko gracefully offered his hand, and not even thinking twice, Nora took it before the servant opened the door for them to enter.

* * *

><p>The dining room was beyond large, more suited to parties than a family dinner, but Nora had stopped being amazed by it a long time ago. Sure, she still couldn't comprehend why those with money thought wasting space was necessary, but she had never been able to question it. Yumihiko only stared for a second, not gaping like she had expected before being ushered along towards the table.<p>

Nathaniel Southway sat at the head of the table, but stood up as the duo approached. Nora slipped her fingers away from Yumihiko's, experiencing a little resistance, in order to give a small bow of greeting. "Good evening, Father," she said, trying to sound confident and humble at the same time. It wasn't easy to do, but it was what was expected, and for once, Nora felt like she had pulled it off.

"Good evening," Nathaniel returned, barely sparing his daughter a glance before focusing on Yumihiko instead. Nora wasn't religious, but she gave a quick prayer to something out there that he would be okay. "And welcome to my home. I would like to give you a proper greeting, although I'm afraid that I have yet to be told your name." Her father paused to offer his hand. "I am Nathaniel Southway. May I ask your name, my guest?"

Nora felt her heart thundering in her chest as she watched the exchange. Fortunately, Yumihiko seemed prepared, the same confident look she had seen in America on his face. "I am Ichiyanagi Yumihiko, a prosecutor from America." He shook Nathaniel's hand before dropping down into a bow. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Southway-san, and thank you for welcoming me into your home."

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Ichiyanagi. I must admit, though, I'm rather surprised that you would travel all the way to Europe, although I guess it comes with the job. You must be talented, though, to become a prosecutor when you're so young." Nora internally winced at the comment, and could tell Yumihiko probably had as well. "I am rather curious, just how old are you?"

"Seventeen, sir." Yumihiko seemed to falter in his presentation for a moment, but quickly caught himself. "It was a lot of hard work, but it wasn't much of a challenge. After all, I am first-rate at what I do." Nora wondered for a second if she had made a mistake in telling Yumihiko to act that way, but her fears were erased when her father let out a boisterous laugh.

"Well, you most certainly are a confident young man, that's good," Nathaniel commented, grinning. Nora could feel some more of her anxiety come back; he _never_ acted like this, not even for guests. Either he was genuinely impressed or he was pretending for the sake of being a good host. She honestly had no clue. "How in the world did you meet such a person?"

It took Nora a few seconds to realize she was the one being addressed, and a few more after that to come up with a convincing lie. She didn't need to bring up the coincidental running into a crime scene, the not-so-coincidental intruding on another, and the trial. It wouldn't look good on her behavior, not to mention talking about the investigations would ultimately lead to that bastard and the truth about her—

"We met while Ema and I were visiting the prosecutor's office where her sister worked. She wanted to talk to some old acquaintances and one of them—you've heard her speak of Prosecutor Edgeworth, right?—was discussing a case with Mr. Ichiyanagi," she lied, trying not to think too hard about it. "They were busy, but were kind enough to spare us some of their time." Yumihiko gave her a look, but didn't question it out loud. Instead, he took the lie and expanded on it.

"I didn't have much time to talk with Ms. Southway then, but we did get along well," This time it was Nora's turn to stare. "I was conducting some business concerning a friend of mine and overheard the family name in the process. Since I was in town, I figured it wouldn't hurt to see if I could pay her a visit." They both glanced at each other for a second, cementing the fake situation in their brains. Nathaniel gave a short nod of understanding before heading back towards his seat.

"Well, you are most certainly welcome in our home, Mr. Ichiyanagi. Now we should take a seat before the cooks get impatient. They always get worked up over the meals they prepare for guests, and we shouldn't keep them waiting any longer."

Nora walked over to her usual seat, and Yumihiko was quick enough to pull out her chair for her. She could feel some color forming in her cheeks at that, mostly because no one had ever treated her like a lady before. The servants all saw her as a disappointment, and the field she was studying wasn't exactly one where you wanted to be seen as prim and proper. But Yumihiko seemed to be doing it without second thought, even if it could have just been for the situation.

She didn't have the time to think about it, though, when she realized that there were five places sat at the table instead of four, and that Yumihiko's place was to her left instead of across.

"Oh, is Mrs. Southway late?" the prosecutor asked as he scooted his chair closer to the table. Nora wanted to ask a different question, but it was good enough. She couldn't form the words, her mouth felt dry, and she was back to wanting to throw up. Everything felt like it had been going well, but things were going to turn around for the worse if that woman showed up.

"Ah, Lillian has been out on a business trip for quite some time," Nathaniel responded, and Nora held out a hope that there would be another guest, like one of her father's business partners—anyone but her. The next words dashed he hopes. "However, she was able to finish her business early, so she should be arriving soon. She sent ahead that we shouldn't hesitate to start without her, so shall we begin?"

On cue, the servers carried in the dishes, and Nora tried not to look too hasty as she reached for her glass of water. Her mouth was even drier now, and she didn't want to think of what would happen if she tried to eat. But when it came down to it, she didn't have much of a choice after not eating much all day. She was hungry, but at the same time she couldn't tell if her stomach wanted her to eat just so she could heave it back up.

Her father continued to talk with Yumihiko, and Nora only tossed in contributions every now and then so they wouldn't think something was wrong. She ate some food as well, taking small bites so she wouldn't push it. It wasn't long before the door opened, and Nora put her hands to the sides of her chair and gripped. Nathaniel stood up to greet the woman with a hug.

Lillian Southway _was_ beautiful; Nora had to give her that. She was also graceful and elegant and practically everything Nora wasn't. She had clearly been raised by a high-class family to be married into a high-class family, which she had easily succeeded in doing. She wanted Nora to do the same, which was just impossible. For one, Nora had been put into the training attempt far too late for it to make an impact, and it _showed_. She couldn't speak properly without effort, she couldn't stand wearing the formal clothing, and she didn't _want_ to just be some trophy wife. She wanted to make her own way, and if she found someone that she liked enough, fine, marriage. But it wasn't going to be any of the snotty brats she had to socialize with at parties, not a chance in bloody hell.

Even worse in her favor were her job ambitions, which Nora had had to fight for in order to gain approval to even _study_ it, and that permission had only been given because even Lillian couldn't argue that being educated would help her chances in finding a husband. But the simple fact was that _ladies_—Nora really hated the word—didn't have ambitions for jobs where they played with dead bodies, no matter the money they could earn from it.

There were so many other expectations Nora failed at that it was useless to list them. To put it frankly, she hated Lillian with a passion, and she was quite sure the feeling was mutual. But there was no way she could say that, so she just kept gripping onto her chair, trying to put her eyes on a decent level of the table before she had to look up at the place across from her. Suddenly, Yumihiko's gloved hand closed over hers, and she turned to look at him with wide eyes. He was smiling in reassurance, but the concern in his eyes was obvious.

"Nora." Lillian's voice made her snap to attention, finally looking where she was expected to. Nathaniel had finished seating his wife and was just getting back into his own chair. Lillian gracefully folded her napkin over her lap and picked up her glass as her personal servant brought out her food. "I expect that you have been keeping up with your training while I was gone, correct?"

Yumihiko's fingers picked at her own; Nora gave in and connected their hands under the table. Focusing enough so that her voice wouldn't show the contempt she was feeling, she replied, "Yes, Mother." The word tasted like acid coming out of her throat. It didn't belong here. She gripped onto Yumihiko's hand hard, and he did his best to squeeze back.

"And your… _classes_…" It wasn't fair that Lillian could show her disapproval, but Nora couldn't return the favor. "I suppose that your performance is exemplary as well."

Nora quickly thought about the work piling up in her room, the paper she had to write, and the tests she had to study for. She knew the progress she was making was nowhere near what was expected. So she did the same thing she always did when it came to this woman: lie. "Yes, Mother." It wasn't just the talk of her work that was untruthful. The biggest lie was the charade they put up as mother and daughter.

But she didn't care anymore. As soon as this dinner was over and Yumihiko was gone, she was going to sit down and get everything done. She was going to make herself better for herself and no one else. All because of one ridiculous boy who was willing to let her cut off the blood flow in his fingers to comfort her.

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

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><p>A long time ago I said something selfish along the lines of "I'm going to update this story weekly!" Obviously, this has not been the case. Regardless, I haven't abandoned this story. I worked on it a bit over the fall, and picked it up again last week as I was let out of school and picked up writing again. This story does have an end, and it does have a purpose. Nora and Yumihiko's journey has a lot to it, so I hope to keep going until the very end. If anything, I truly think this story is the first one I will finish this summer. That being said, I hope to be able to get to the internet enough to share this story with you at a reasonable lace that <em>doesn't<em> involve any more year-long hiatuses.

Special thanks to Magic Detective for favoriting this story back in August. I hope the rest of the story is what made you enjoy it in the first place.


	5. Chapter 4: Spend Some Time

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter Four: Spend Some Time

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><p>May 12, 2019, 11:48 AM<p>

Hobbleton Café

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><p>Yumihiko sat at the small table, fidgeting like there was no tomorrow. Nora had proposed that they meet here for lunch after last night's dinner, and he really didn't know how to say no. After all, today was his last full day in England, and being able to spend a little more time with Nora had somehow seemed like the only thing he wanted to do. That excitement had resulted in staying up later than jet lag allowed for, waking up before there was even a trace of the sun in the sky, and even arriving at the café an hour earlier than the designated meeting time.<p>

He had even dressed much differently than usual, considering he had been planning on spending the day as a tourist as opposed to a prosecutor. A turquoise, short-sleeved button up still allowed for the black undershirt to be seen, and a small red scarf covered his neck, with white pants as a finishing touch. The outfit was a bit bulkier than one would need back in California at this time of year, but the weather was gloomier on the other side of the world. Even so, part of him had felt like he was taking things too lightly with this approach, leading to the addition of his baton and prosecutor's badge to his pockets.

At least the café had a soothing atmosphere, the little it did for Yumihiko's nerves. The décor was in beige and varying shades of brown, almost like some older village, and there were even old style paintings and bottles scattered around the room. The teacup he had requested matched as well, and the woman that kept refilling it treated him as if they had always known each other. There was even a scent of what he guessed homemade bread smelled like coming from the kitchen.

Despite how relaxed the room should have tricked him into being, Yumihiko couldn't help but jump every time the bell above the entrance rang. He was even constantly checking his phone, despite the fact that he didn't know Nora's number, and he doubted that she knew his.

The sound of the bell jingling met his ears again, but Yumihiko resisted the urge to look at the door. The last time he had done it, the woman had been refilling his tea, and when he turned back from glancing over his shoulder with a probably disappointed look on his face, she just gave him a sad smile. He knew the gesture had probably been meant as reassuring, but it really just felt like pity. Trying to distract himself, Yumihiko went to pick up the teacup.

"Boo."

He tried his best not to spill any of the tea on himself, but some of it ended up on the table instead. Deeming it a fair trade-off, he reached for his napkin to clean up the mess, only to have his hand bump into someone else's. Finally realizing that someone had to have spoken in order for him to be startled by it, Yumihiko looked at his shoulder to see Nora.

They both pulled their hands at away at the same time, and Nora stood up straight, trying to recover. It only took a second for Yumihiko to get over his initial shock to look at her properly. She was wearing a dress in a dark green color, with patterns of tree branches and leaves covering the fabric. The skirt stopped just past her knees, showing that she was wearing a pair of jeans underneath it. Not wanting to be caught staring, Yumihiko shifted his gaze to the table, where the puddle of his tea was about to drip off the edge.

He tried to go for the napkin again, but stopped when a towel swiftly wiped up the mess. The woman set down another cup of tea on the opposite side of the table and tucked the towel into the waistband of her apron, freeing up her hands. "So, Nora, this boy's been waiting on you, huh? Should've guessed there, Honey, usually teenagers don't drop in on their own," she commented, grinning before pulling Nora aside. "I know you have a lot goin' on, Honey, but you really shouldn't keep a boy waitin' that long for a date, it's rude…" The sentence was whispered, but still loud enough for Yumihiko to hear. He felt his cheeks heat up at the amount of time he had been sitting there.

Nora seemed to get flustered, too, albeit for different reasons. "No, no, no, Clara, you've got it all wrong," she said, waving her hands in front of her and shaking her head. Yumihiko caught sight of her hair in a short high ponytail wave back and forth with the motion. "Yumi's a mate I met from vacation with Ema. He's just… We're not… I mean… It's not… I'll have the usual please!"

Clara laughed at the cop-out of an answer, while Yumihiko blushed a little bit more. "If that's the case, then, Yumi, is it? Whatcha want there, Sweetie?"

"Um, I…" he stammered. He had had an entire hour to familiarize himself with the menu, but Yumihiko had only looked at it once, and that had been to order his tea. Not knowing what else to say without actually looking at said menu, he made a quick decision. "I-I'll have the lunch special, please…" Clara gave him a smile like she knew he was bluffing, but only snatched up the menu on the table.

"It'll be out, soon, loves," the woman assured as she pivoted towards the kitchen. Yumihiko looked down at his lap, feeling slightly unnerved. The sound of chair legs scraping against the wooden floor let him know Nora was probably sitting down across from him.

Figuring it was rude to not say anything—despite the awkward feeling in his stomach—Yumihiko looked up and gave a smile to Nora. "So, um… You must come here a lot," he commented. Nora gave a little start as she gazed at him through the lenses of her glasses. "I mean… She's so familiar with you and… Well, it's kind of like you're family."

Nora seemed to focus a bit and smiled, shaking her head. "Nah, she and Bernie are like that with everyone." Catching Yumihiko's confused expression, she continued. "Her husband. But anyway, sure, this is a family run restaurant, and the customers are mainly regulars, and to be honest, I've known them since I was little. But everyone that comes in that door is like family to them. Though I'll admit, sometimes Clara acts like an older sister or an aunt most of the time and can get a little protective…"

"You're so lucky!" Yumihiko exclaimed without even thinking. "I wish I had a family like that, even if it's not by blood! I mean…" Nora looked surprised at the outburst, but he kept going. "I really only had Oyaji, and we never went out to see relatives. I… I never knew Mom, either, so…" Yumihiko swallowed the lump forming in his throat he usually got when he thought about his parents. "Well, I mean, you have people who treat you like family even though they're not, and I'm sure you have other relatives, too. Not to mention, you have a dad and a mom and…"

"That woman is not my mother!" Nora had stood up with the exclamation, hands slamming on the table in the process, making the teacups rattle. The only other customers in the café were a couple on the opposite side of the room, and a man at the bar, but no one so much as told them to keep it down. The calm atmosphere quickly reformed, and Nora sat down, looking slightly ashamed at the outburst.

"I mean…" she started, looking down. "I just…" Nora paused for a few moments, taking a quick glance out the window before looking back to Yumihiko. "Lillian Southway is _not_ my mother. Never has been, never will. I… I only treat her like it because… Well, it's complicated, Yumi, it really is and would take far too long to explain. Besides, right now… No, I really think it should wait before I try to explain, okay?"

Her voice was almost pained as she said the words, and Yumihiko wished he knew what was going on, so he could help. But if Nora said it was best she didn't, he really didn't know how to argue about it. Even if that wasn't the case, it sounded as if she would tell him someday, no matter when that was, which was enough for now "Alright… I understand." Then, as an afterthought, he added, "Sorry."

"No, it's fine," Nora countered, despite that she looked nowhere near fine. "It's a perfectly valid thing for us to talk about. Hell, I should probably just tell you and get it over with, but… I'm not even close to being ready." The reassurance did nothing to make Yumihiko feel better, and it must have shown. "Fine, how bout I bring up some awkward topic. You can answer if you wanna, but in any event, we'll both be the bad guys and on even ground, kay?"

Yumihiko thought it was a weird way to handle things, but really couldn't think of anything better, so he nodded. Nora looked up to the ceiling with a contemplative look on her face for some time before she seemed to come up with something. "Oh, this was bugging me yesterday, too, but my gut told me there was something about it, so I didn't ask. What happened to that jacket you used to wear around like a cape?" she ultimately asked.

Nora's gut had been right; it was a touchy subject for so innocent of a question. The jacket had been a gift when he received—_Not like I earned it, apparently,_ he thought with a mix of bitterness and guilt—his prosecutor's badge after the bar exam, and he had worn it ever since, the fleeting month it had been. Who had given it to him had been a lot worse, which was why it was now gone. Sure enough, the awkward silence descended, but Yumihiko felt like it did little to make up for his own mistake.

"I got rid of it," he started, thinking back to the moment. He hadn't been able to feel the fabric through his glove, but the lighter had been cold. It hadn't taken long for everything else to get hot. "I… I burned it, really." Yumihiko stopped the elaboration there, not wanting Nora to panic about what had happened next. "O-Bansai-he"—_Oyaji_—"got it for me, and every time I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I… I just couldn't take it, so I got rid of it…"

If Nora could tell he was leaving out details, she didn't say anything about it, which was good. Or at least, it seemed good; Yumihiko wanted to talk about it, but didn't feel like bothering her with it, particularly with whatever issues she had with Mrs. Southway. Everything just seemed like it was too soon to talk about.

"I see…" Nora finally said, staring. "That's rather impressive there, Yumi, if not a bit extreme. Though I guess if you don't make it impossible for the past to get to you, it'll follow you forever…" Nora gave a sad chuckle that disappeared before Yumihiko could comment. Instead, he opted for approaching a less depressing topic.

"So, I saw your … um, 'wall things' I guess? Anyway, with the books you have, it's a pretty impressive collection. You really do love working with the human body, huh?" Yumihiko made sure to watch his words from sounding like he was going to talk about the job offer again. He had no intentions of doing so, considering the topic had made Nora cry yesterday. "That skeleton's really impressive, too. How much did it cost?"

Nora's expression was still trapped on the same sad-looking smile, but her voice didn't show it. "You'd have to ask the people who went through the effort to kill her," she stated.

"What?" Yumihiko decided this was a good of a time to ask if the conclusion he had come to yesterday was true. "So it's—"

"—real? Yes," Nora stated as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "That skeleton, well, _she's_ my mum."

"Nora, you don't have to—"

"No, I wanna talk about this one. You see, Mum was this great medical examiner. She did it before I was born, and kept on going right through the pregnancy and after. She dragged me into work all the time, and before I could _walk_ I'd been given a front row view of an autopsy table more than once. Who's to say I was interested in the science on my own or by all the exposure. Furthermore, who cares?

"Point being, she was great, and not just at her job. Mum always took care of me, always was there when I needed her, never failed to drop everything else to help me with my problems. One time I got picked on so bad in primary school that I started bawling so bad and couldn't go back to class. She was in the middle of testifying at a trial, but she bolted out of there the instant the school called her." Nora paused to shrug. "Maybe not the most professional thing to do, but there wasn't a chance she would leave me alone if I needed her.

"Not to say she didn't care about her job. Sure, she was brilliant, but Mum was more than that. She was fiercely loyal to her work and made sure she was certain about everything before presenting an autopsy report. 'We're the only ones that can tell the truth for the dead,' she always told me. I… I still don't know why it happened.

"I was eight at the time—third grade. One of my friends invited me over to their house after school, and Mum told me as long as I called her if I wouldn't be home before dinner, anything went. My friend's parents offered me a ride home, but I was used to the buses by then, so I went off on my own. The bus never stopped on the street where our apartment was, but the next one over. I got off there, and by the time I rounded the corner, the place was on fire…

"Not that it mattered. Mum was dead before that. Autopsy showed that she had been poisoned beforehand, and the fire was a decoy. I… I was the one that told them to double check. Gut instinct." Nora looked sad for a few moments before giving Yumihiko a shrug and a smile. "The end."

"B-but," he started before deciding to rework his argument. "Nora, that can't be the end. There's more to it than that, right? You didn't say who it was, and you haven't mentioned your father and—!"

"Tsk, tsk," Nora scolded, wagging her finger in the air. "You see, Yumi, this is where the part I wanna talk about and the part I don't wanna talk about run headfirst into each other. Besides, we've talked about enough depressing things for one lunch, and we haven't even started eating yet. Will you be more satisfied if I say _'to be continued'_?" She giggled a little, even though she seemed to recognize that it was inappropriate. "Oh, and Yumi, about that job…" She paused, and Yumihiko couldn't tell if her voice had just cracked or not, but he was too busy waiting for an answer to ask.

"We'll see."

And before anything more could be said, food was on the table, teacups were being refilled, Clara was chattering, and it was time for Yumihiko to find out exactly what he had ordered.

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Yup, need to do something about all the depressing things I'm writing.

When I started writing this story, I was frustrated with myself. I vented this into writing for Nora, who already had her story but still needed a starting point. Without plotting, the first four chapters became an entity much like a prologue to the story they were telling.

I still can't decide a good way to convey all the things about Nora and Yumihiko's first interactions with each other, because they happen to fall into a game canon that doesn't exist in English. I think I've covered all the important parts, but sometimes I wonder. There's a part of me that still feels like something's missing, but I don't know what that is.

Clara is fun to write, nuff said. It'll be a while and not in this story, but it will be nice to finally write her and Bernie in the future.

All that being said, this is the end of part one/prologue to this story. The next part will have a time skip, and start the main part of the plot, which does involve a case. Although this technically is the first murder mystery story I have done, I hope it's passable. I enjoy writing it at the very least. Please look forward to it.


	6. Chapter 5: Long Enough

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter Five: Long Enough

* * *

><p>Two Years Later<p>

* * *

><p>June 17, 2021, 11:43 AM<p>

Prosecutor's Building, Lobby

* * *

><p>Nora found herself growing impatient. It had been almost two hours since she had arrived at the Prosecutor's Building in Los Angeles, and she <em>still<em> hadn't been waited on by the aide at the front desk. She had been instructed to take a number upon walking in, and, having nine, figured that it wouldn't take too long for her needs to be met. However, they had only progressed up to seven by this point, and as optimistic as that sounded, her patience was running quite thin. It seemed police officers and detectives were too good to wait in line like the rest of civilians, making the progress even slower.

The woman blew a strand of hair out of her face, fingers of both hands tapping on the armrests in an uneven cadence. She hadn't been able to sleep during her flight, she was hungry, and her muscles were cramping, but she had already been yelled at for being "distracting" by the aide for trying to pace. She had considered taking a walk around the block, but she didn't trust her luggage in the lobby, and she'd probably lose her number, too.

All in all, Nora Heather-Blossom Southway found herself to be quite grumpy.

It wasn't like she had a large request, either. All she needed were some room numbers, Yumihiko's and Edgeworth's if the former wasn't there. Then she could be on her merry way as the aide wasted his time calling through various extensions as he was doing now.

Then again, the situation was almost her fault, when she considered it. Nora had left her cell phone back in England, but it had had to be done. She shook her head, sending the dyed locks everywhere. The colors had expanded from the natural blond and neon green to include a cerulean blue and slightly darker purple. At least her hair was firmly secure in a ponytail at the top of her head so she didn't have to fix the mess that would have resulted otherwise. Or maybe it was worse, seeing as that would have been a way to spend some time.

"Hey, Lady, what number are you?" Nora looked down to see a small boy that couldn't be older than six staring up at her. His black hair was messy, and it appeared that he was just as bored was she was. His t-shirt and shorts made it look as if he should be playing in a backyard under sprinklers as opposed to waiting in some lobby with poor service.

Nora smiled slightly, hoping maybe she could entertain the kid and make time pass quicker for both of them. "I'm number nine," she answered, doing her best to keep the bitterness out of her tone. "Why, what number are you?"

"Mommy and I are number eight!" he exclaimed, smiling. "Daddy's a witness right now and Mommy needs to talk to his posi-cute-er! But… it's taking really long, and I'm bored… so I made up a game! Wanna know how to play?" A game was as good as anything to pass the time, even if it would probably make no sense. Regardless, Nora nodded.

"Kay, listen careful, cause I'm only gonna tell you once! Here goes!" The boy stood up straight, putting his fists on his hips and puffing out his chest like some superhero. Nora was willing to bet he got the pose from his favorite cartoon character. "Your goal is to find the people with the numbers that are next to yours. When you do, you have to trade with them. But you can't trade the same numbers back and forth with the same people! You have to find someone else, or that's cheating. Whoever has the number when the man at the desk calls it, loses! Got it?"

Nora nodded once, concluding that the boy's mother probably had no idea that he had come up with such a game. "So, what number did you say you were again?" she asked, playing along. She had never really had much opportunity to play with kids.

"I'm number eight! And 'cause you're number nine, we have to trade!" He pulled the small number ticket out of his pocket and offered it out to Nora. Realizing that this would get her questions answered much faster, she grabbed her own slip off the table and traded them off. The boy grinned as he put his prize in his pocket. "Now you have to find number seven or wait until I'm not number nine anymore! I need to find number ten!"

"Daniel!" a woman's voice called, causing the boy to turn around. Nora assumed it was his mother and made sure the ticket was hidden away in the palm of her hand. "You shouldn't wander off too far with so many people. And don't bother strangers, either. I'm sorry if he caused any trouble, Miss."

Nora continued to smile. "None at all, Ma'am. He's a good kid." She gave a small wave as Daniel was led away by his mother to the other side of the room.

"Number eight, please, number eight," the aide finally called. Nora quickly glimpsed as the mother asked Daniel what number they had and her surprised expression when it wasn't what she was expecting. She didn't question it any further, though. Nora ignored her pang of guilt as she walked up to the desk. Daniel looked over at her and mouthed "You lose," a small grin on his face.

Despite that, Nora felt like she had just won the jackpot.

* * *

><p>Nora quickly slipped the ticket onto the desk, not wanting to waste time on useless formalities. The aide smiled at her, and not very convincingly. She took a glimpse at his name plate (<em>Kevin Smedley<em> on cheap brass plating) for note later, to see if maybe Edgeworth could do something about his performance or salary. He had always been threatening that detective with the scruffy coat for pay cuts, if she recalled.

"Good afternoon, ma'am, how may I help you?"

"Could you tell me Prosecutor Ichiyanagi Yumihiko's room number?" Nora quickly asked, not bothering to return the formality. It was awkward enough referring to Yumi of all people with a title. Then again, using the nickname wasn't a very effective strategy, so she relented.

"Ichiyanagi? Hold on one minute, please." The aide turned to the computer to look up the information. The screen was at an angle where Nora couldn't read it very easily, but she noticed the aide was lacking in decent keyboard skills as well. "His office is in room 713, but he's out working on a case at the moment. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

She didn't fully expect the setback, although Nora had already considered the situation. "Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth's room, then?" she tried. There was more typing on the computer from the aide, who shook his head afterwards.

"His is room 1202, but it seems as if he's out as well. Actually, it appears that they're working on the same case for the moment… Would you like me to take a message for you, ma'am?"

Now this was a problem Nora hadn't even thought was possible, let alone considered. She shook her head to the message, but thought for a few moments. "Is… Is it possible for you to tell me the location of the investigation?" she tried, almost doubting that it would work. "Yu-Prosecutor Ichiyanagi needs to discuss a job with me and of he's working on a case, my services are rather urgent. Prosecutor Edgeworth is interested as well, and it would be a shame if I couldn't help out."

The aide looked like he was going to say no at first—_Probably because of my hair. Wanker_—but the second she mentioned Edgeworth, he was back to the computer. A few seconds later she had a map of the city marked with the crime scene and other prudent locations ("If they're not there, they would be at the Police Department. At the least, someone can contact them much easier than I can."), as well as tips for the best bus to take, and even some restaurants in the area.

_Edgeworth's a lot more impressive than I gave him credit for two years ago. Or rather, he has much more influence than I thought. I guess I get why Ema talks about him all the time, but not really. In any case, I wonder what Yumi's face will look like when I show up unexpectedly on his crime scene again._

It was all she could do not to run once she grabbed her suitcase and exited the building.

* * *

><p>June 17, 2021, 1:26 PM<p>

Gatewater Apartment Complex, Guest Parking Lot

* * *

><p>Looking up at it, the Gatewater Apartment Complex was impressive. The building was a pristine white, had a charming entrance, and stood almost as tall as the Prosecutor's Building. Trees were growing around the entrance, along with flower arrangements galore hugging the ground. The only things that ruined the image of perfection were the police cars in the guest parking lot and the burned out room that smeared the white paint job in horrendous black ash.<p>

It was almost funny how much it resembled her old apartment building back in England with her mother. Sure, that place had been nowhere near as illustrious, but the building structure was quite similar, and the hole left by the fire was even in the same place: fourth floor, corner apartment. Nora's hand tightened around the handle of her suitcase before she forced herself to loosen her grip.

This was _not_ England. She was _not_ six, that was _not_ her apartment, and her mother was _not_ dead. Well, she was dead, but it wasn't like she was dead again. This was Los Angeles, she was twenty-one, and the building above her was home to a crime scene that had no ties to her other than the Prosecution investigating it. It was probably just a typical arson case, meaning no one really even had to be dead. It could be as simple as an injury or two, or maybe just wanting an investigation for property damage.

Reminding herself that there _was_ at the very least an investigation going on, Nora wondered how she would get into this one. There was no keycard she could jack like at Big Tower, though it wasn't like it could be as hard. Deciding that if all else failed she could just play the Edgeworth card again, Nora walked towards the entrance.

For whatever reason, the elevators had been shut down for the day, but at least the landlord offered to help her with her suitcase up the stairs. Nora declined the offer though, knowing she would be asked who she was coming to visit and how long she'd be staying, since the bag made her look like she was intending to stay (_Oh, I'm meeting with my friend Mr. Corpse. I'll be here until he moves out_). She at least wished that she had one of the suitcases that had backpack straps as well. Then again, she probably would have pulled something if she did, considering how much she had tried to make fit into her singular suitcase. The only other thing she had was a small purse that carried things she couldn't risk losing.

Yumihiko was going to carry the suitcase for her once this investigation was over, no exceptions.

Nora made it to the fourth floor, and promptly dropped the suitcase, sitting on it to catch her breath. Living in the Southway mansion had spoiled her; she used to always take the stairs when she still lived in the apartment. Dismissing the thought, she focused on the hallway, which was teeming with police officers, just like she expected. Crime scene tape blocked off the other end of the hall, along with the adjacent rooms. Nora felt bad for the people that lived there, being kicked out of their homes for an investigation.

Something felt off, though. Most of the hall seemed relatively untouched, other than some smoke damage to the white ceiling and walls. Nora knew this wasn't natural from an arson area she had seen from a class trip of sorts in college. The wall to the target room was still intact, and the only other mess was from the policemen as they soiled the carpet with their boots. Compared to how it was outside, this was all wrong.

But she had seen this before, too. Her own apartment hallway looked the exact same after her mother's death, and that scared her. She almost considered leaving when an officer approached her.

"Ma'am, unless you're looking for someone on this floor, may I request that you leave? As you can see, we're conducting an investigation right now, and there's nothing fascinating like you would see on TV."

"I am…" Nora said, voice sounding way too weak. She cleared her throat to try again. "I'm here by request of the Prosecutors investigating at the moment. It's urgent business, and I doubt Prosecutor Edgeworth would be too happy if you prevented me from entering the scene."

The cop eyed her suspiciously, but wasn't as easily fooled as the aide before him. And Nora couldn't blame him either. The crazily dyed hair, the suitcase—she probably looked like a tourist, maybe even a fangirl (_He has those, right?_). Besides, Ema always talked about how well-known Edgeworth was, which probably meant this wasn't an uncommon trick for people to end up where they didn't belong. The cop's words echoed that sentiment.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, but I haven't been told that any such individual should be arriving, and Prosecutor Edgeworth takes such efforts to mention these things. Unless you can prove to me otherwise, I'm afraid I can't help you. What sort of 'business' would you be conducting anyway?"

Nora scowled at his dismissal, but resisted the urge to yell. Causing a scene would get her forcibly removed from the premises in no time. She decided to go out on a limb. "There's a dead body in there, right?" If that was wrong, she was screwed. There was no denial, though, so Nora kept going. She had guessed as much, though, since there were far too many officers for simple arson. "Obviously the cause of death is important information to be accurately determined for court, correct? I'm a Medical Examiner, and I came to do my job."

The cop had a bewildered look on his face, not knowing how to respond, and Nora took advantage of it to dig in her purse. Once she found her license, she pulled it out, scattering a few other items on the floor, but Nora could bring herself to care later. She presented the card to the cop, hoping he wouldn't recognize that it was a British license—hardly anyone did, according to her professors—before adding it to her pants pocket.

However, the man seemed more focused on whatever she had dropped, which only made Nora's frown deepen. She looked down, trying to contain her blush when she saw the pictures. There were only three of them, but they were all from two years ago when she had taken Yumihiko to Hobbleton's. Clara had insisted on some pictures before they left, and Nora had been keeping them ever since.

She quickly scooped them up, focusing on regaining her composure as she returned them to her purse. She pulled the zipper way too hard, resulting in a sound that made the cop come back to attention. Nora swallowed, trying to make her voice come out as confident as possible, though it was far too quiet to make a real impact. "Prosecutor Ichiyanagi is expecting to see me, too."

Nora walked past the cop, pretending like she had just gained permission so she wouldn't be stopped by anyone else as she headed for the door.

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

* * *

><p>Finally, the actual main plot arrives after a time skip! This is rather the transitionary part with hints at how the actual case (which will be managed almost in a slightly-altered Investigations fashion) will fold out. The known details will be hammered out soon.<p>

Next time Yumihiko starts some investigation, Nora arrives, the rest of the investigation group is introduced, andthe plot thickens! Please look forward to it!


	7. Chapter 6: Stormy

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter Six: Stormy

* * *

><p>June 17, 2021, 1:53 PM<p>

Gatewater Apartment Complex, Room 429

* * *

><p>Yumihiko couldn't help but wince again as he surveyed the burnt-out apartment, despite how long the investigation had been going on for. Black ash predominated the scene, and, when it was absent, smoke damage took care of obscuring the rest of the room. It was enough to take him back to what had happened after the burning of his gift jacket from Bansai, except it was much cleaner. He had lost his house; the apartment's structure was mostly intact and the rest of the complex relatively undamaged. It was far too clean, too tame, and that was beyond suspicious.<p>

Ichiyanagi Yumihiko took a minute to remind himself that finding potential clues to the arsonist was far more important at the moment.

Of course, it was far more than just that—_Oh, it could never be that simple_—murder had taken place as well. The investigation in the middle of the night had eliminated the possibility of the fire being an accident, making the arson charge, which made it likely that whoever had set the fire had intended for the resident to die as well.

Yumihiko felt worse than he usually did at a crime scene, and they generally made him queasy enough. What let this one hit harder was the victim—Rosannah Perry. The woman had been the defendant in the prosecutor's previous case, which was why he had been notified about the body as soon as it had been found. Of course, they were only working with her identity as an assumption from the apartment, considering the state of the body. The fire had left it in a ravaged state, unidentifiable at a glance, but the body type seemed to match up.

_I'll never understand why you procrastinate so long on the autopsy work. It's a bad habit to get into, which I do believe two years is a long enough time to consider it as such. Perhaps it could even be called a "problem," Ichiyanagi-kun. Just what are you waiting for?_

The lecture was fresh in his mind from the last investigation, when Miles Edgeworth had been his co-council due to case assignment difficulties. The man was still present, searching near the wall of the room that was still mostly undamaged—even the windows weren't broken—although he had to keep pushing the rectangular glasses up his nose. His bangs provided a curtain that prevented Yumihiko from seeing his expression properly, although the younger could guess it was irritated.

On the adjacent wall, Detective Garnet Westenberg was currently sifting through a burnt-out entertainment center, a clear pair of gloves slipped over his own usual black, open-backed pair. Ash kept popping up in clouds when he dropped some form of useless item, which wasn't such a problem for his navy blue pants, although the short-sleeved jacket he wore was taking abuse in the form of black smudges over the white fabric. Despite the fact, the detective still refused to zip up said jacket, allowing the purple-pink undershirt to take the same fate. Pieces of ash even littered his hair, which was dyed to match the man's namesake.

Detective Westenberg was searching for a method to the arson, as he had been for the past four hours. That was the problem with this case. Other than the theory that it _had_ been arson (which was shaky as it was, due to Yumihiko's reluctance to autopsy yet), there was no methodology and no possible suspects, considering that the only person that had a rocky relationship with Perry was the victim in the case she had been cleared of guilt form just days ago. Considering the length of the investigation, the pressure was starting to build.

Yumihiko felt awkward staring at body in the middle of the room, resting over the ashy remains of the couch. He had actually spent some time on getting to know this woman as he prepared his case against her. While that wasn't a relationship you could call a close one, it was still enough association for his guts to clench at her death.

"Yumihiko-san, you really should be gentler with that baton. Miles said it cost quite a lot when I picked it out," a feminine voice commented as a hand dropped onto the teenaged prosecutor's shoulder. He started a little, but stopped bending the item as requested.

"I'm sorry, Achhammer-san," Yumihiko apologized nervously. It had been nearly two years since he had gotten over his crush—_affection_—with the woman, but the thought that he had entertained such feelings still embarrassed him. It was almost enough to make him bend the baton again, but he resisted the urge. "It's really force of habit…"

Cecilia Achhammer smiled at him, encouraging as always. She was the most out of place in the apartment, considering she lacked any professional need to be present. However, the woman was working towards being a defense attorney, which could be considered odd as she worked to help the two prosecutors. But it made sense whenever she explained it as "we're all working to find the truth, correct?" Then again, the fact that she was in a relationship with Prosecutor Edgeworth was a considerable factor as well.

"Hm, perhaps I should try to find you a more a pliable one next time…" Cecilia considered, smoothing out her skirt. The dress had been able escape any ashes, although her shoes were coated with the stuff. The cerulean color of her clothes was also present as a ribbon through the chest length lock of hair off the right side of her head. Yumihiko still wasn't used to the fact that the back of her dark brown hair had been cut down to only reach the bottom of her neck.

"Ah, that's not…"

"Ichiyanagi Yumihiko, how bloody long has this body been sitting out here?!"

Cecilia turned around at the same time Yumihiko did, and were met with the site of an infuriated woman glaring at the latter. Her hair was bordering a rainbow in a ponytail, and oval glasses framed light green eyes. Her shirt was neon green with a sleeveless jacket falling well past her hips. Her capris looked to be jeans, showing off the brown lace-up boots that were underneath. Behind her sat a brightly colored suitcase, which he really shouldn't have cared about considering her stance.

"_Damn_," Garnet muttered under his breath, and Yumihiko had to admit, the detective had a point, although neither should have been focusing on such a thing at the moment. Yumihiko tried to ignore the warmth in his cheeks by looking away from the woman.

Cecilia seemed to be thinking, holding her chin between her fingers before covering her mouth in surprise. "Ms. Southway?" she asked tentatively. "You are Ms. Southway, right? From Big Tower two years ago?" It took a few seconds for the information to process in his brain, but when it did, Yumihiko could feel his practice at keeping his mouth shut go down the drain.

"Nora! Oh, wow, Nora you look—!"

"Don't you dare try to distract me, Ichiyanagi!" Nora shouted, her glare only intensifying as she walked closer. "I asked you how—bloody –_long_ this body has been sitting around on your _arson_ crime scene in _Los Angeles_ in the middle of _summer_! Answer!"

"S-since about four in the morning…" Yumihiko stuttered out, tears poking at the corners of his eyes. They weren't from being scared, though, which he most certainly was. But the teenager was far more concerned with what Nora's arrival on his crime scene meant, and if he was right, there would most certainly be tears of happiness to come.

The woman scowled, obviously not sharing the sentiment of joy at seeing each other again. "How the bloody hell could you think that was okay?!" she exclaimed. "I don't care how open and shut this seems, but there are more ways to die in a fire than what that charred mess would imply! Oh for the love of—" Nora turned her head back to the open doorway she had come in through to address the policemen in the hallway. "Oi! One of you make arrangements for this body to be transported for autopsy as soon as posible!"

"A-ah, yes, ma'am!"

Across the room, Edgeworth gave Yumihiko a look that he could tell was meant to be some version of _I told you so._ The expression shifted into a small smile that still seemed awkward on the man's lips, no matter how many times Yumihiko saw it. He also had no idea what it meant.

"Honestly…" Nora leaned down next to the corpse, her tone implying that she was nowhere done berating him. She slipped out a pair of gloves from her purse. "Most fire deaths are actually from smoke in the lungs, Yumi, did you know that?! Of course, not like you care. Whatever gets written down in this autopsy report really won't concern you much when you're trying to nail the guy for the fire, huh?" No matter how forgiving her words were on the surface, Yumihiko could still sense the bitterness underneath. Even so, he remained hopeful.

"Does this mean you're taking the job?" he asked, hoping it would sound more assured than he felt. Nora stood up from the ground, looking the prosecutor in the eye.

"Of course I'm taking the job, Yumihiko, why the hell else would I fly all the way to Los Angeles and track you down to your crime scene? This isn't some vacation, this is the real deal. Though I expected better than this from someone that brags about being first-class all the time."

The last comment hurt, but Yumihiko guessed he deserved it. This _was_ business after all, and a crime scene wasn't really the place to have the reunion he had imagined, either. Nora seemed to think she had gone too far, though, since her expression softened. She went to say something, but didn't get a chance.

"Pardon me, ma'am, but I'm afraid I haven't the chance to introduce myself," Westenberg said, stepping forward. "I am Detective Garnet Westenberg, currently working under Prosecutor Ichi over there. If you're taking a job under him that should make us comrades, so… May I ask your name?"

Nora appeared put off by the sudden introduction, but recovered her composure easily. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Nora Heather-Blossom Southway, and if everything goes right, I should soon be employed as a Medical Examiner under," she giggled, "Prosecutor 'Ichi'. It's also nice to see you again, Edgeworth, Ms. Achhammer."

"Oh, Ms. Southway, are you really moving to America and working here? That's so wonderful!" Cecilia exclaimed, smiling. "You definitely need to come over to dinner sometime! Oh, and if you ever need anything, Miles and I will be glad to help! It's not a problem at all!"

"Ms. Southway," Edgeworth interrupted, his tone much more professional than the rest of the conversation rotating around him. "I understand that you desire to be involved with this case, and I have faith in your abilities. However, I hope you realize that it will be difficult to have you authorized to work on the autopsy at all. That being said, I will do what is within my power to see that you may be involved. After all… Ichiyanagi-kun has been waiting for you for quite some time."

Yumihiko had been feeling a bit alienated from the conversation, but the use of his name alerted him back to his involvement. He fumbled over his words concerning Edgeworth's comment on waiting, but Nora was looking at him curiously. It made it rather hard to concentrate. When she burst into a smile seconds later, his mental status didn't really improve.

"I… I… It's nice to see you again, Nora," he finally squeaked out, trying not to be too nervous. His hands almost went to bend the baton again, but Cecilia's comment from earlier reminded him not to.

"It's nice to see you again, too, Yumi," Nora replied. Garnet snickered at the nickname, and Yumihiko decided to elbow him in the stomach for it. "I have to ask though… Just what are you wearing?"

What he was wearing was quite different from what had two years ago, but Yumihiko didn't think it warranted that sort of look on her face—somewhere between smile and smirk, leaning extra heavy on the smirk half. It was just a black suit with a white undershirt, a bow-tie, and the jacket draped over his shoulders, just like the red one it replaced. Garnet snickered louder this time, covering his mouth and turning around to muffle the noise.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with my outfit!" Yumihiko exclaimed in indignation, his hands forming into fists. He pointed the baton straight at Nora's face, glaring in the process. "I dare you to find something that permits your question to even be asked in the first place!" There was a moment of silence before Nora smiled. Surely it was only his imagination that she looked sad, though, right?

"You really have grown, Yumi…" she said, almost to herself.

"Ms. Southway, shall we return to the matter at hand?" Edgeworth interrupted again, and Yumihiko wanted to tell him to stay out of it. But Edgeworth was the more experienced of the two, so no such comment was made. "I understand that you said earlier that the cause of death is not as simple as it appears. I agree with you on that statement, although I am curious to your professional opinion on just what the cause may be with your limited knowledge."

"That's a tough one there, Edgeworth," Nora noted, folding her hands behind her head. "Just like you said, I really don't know much other than we had a fire, though I'm guessing it was arson. Even so, I really, really don't think it's typical at all. Something doesn't seem right at all… Do you have any suspects?"

"None, at the moment. I suppose we could go into more detail about the case, if you require it."

"No, no, that's fine for now. I'm more concerned about this body. You see, something seems really off about it. I haven't had this feeling since Big Tower really." Yumihiko swallowed, not liking that statement. The Big Tower case hadn't ended so well after all, and had lead into an even bigger mess. Nora tended to be rather accurate about these things, as well.

"You don't have to take my word on it, but I think there's more to your victim's death here than this fire, though," she concluded. For a second, Yumihiko couldn't help but smile. Nora looked tired, but that was nothing against the enthusiasm underneath about working on a case. His train of thought was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass.

And then he watched the bullet fly in front of her face.

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

* * *

><p>Ah, cliffhangers. I usually try to avoid them, but this is one I couldn't resist. I hope the case concept is interesting enough for people to enjoy it, at least at a glance. I also hope the original characters are interesting enough for everyone. Both Garnet and Cecilia have their own stories and worlds that I should spend some time writing someday.<p>

I really think what's coming the next chapter speaks for itself, don't you? Please look forward to it!


	8. Chapter 7: Hit the Wall

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter Seven: Safety Off

* * *

><p>June 17, 2021, 2:39 PM<p>

Gatewater Apartment Complex, Room 429

* * *

><p>Nora felt the wind from the bullet, but didn't properly register what it was until it landed in the wall, and by then it was too late. She was too shocked to do anything, despite all of her common sense telling her to take some form of cover. Yumihiko seemed to be having the same problem, his wide eyes staring back at hers until he was pulled out of sight. Seconds later, a hand was on Nora's arm as the detective—<em>Garnet West-whatever. Garnet's good enough<em>—pulled her down to the floor as well. The impact as she hit the ground brought her senses back, so when Garnet went to tug her along, she shrugged him off.

Edgeworth was already by the wall, brushing shards of broken glass away from Ms. Achhammer with a disgruntled expression. Cecilia instead focused on trying to remove some of the ash from his magenta vest, and Nora couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the man—it looked like it was made of silk. Yumihiko was almost beside her, being ushered along by Garnet as they worked to hopefully get into the shooter's blind spot.

_Someone's shooting at us,_ she thought. _I wonder why, it's not like we're getting anywhere. I may be missing details, but I highly doubt my walking into that crime scene really changed anything vital. So it's just some random shooter? No, that's highly unlikely. It has to be someone connected to the case—the arsonist perhaps?_

Nora frowned as she propped herself up against a wall space between two unbroken windows. She was a medical examiner, not a detective. It wasn't her place to try and figure things like this out. The only conclusions she was good at drawing came from time poking around inside corpses, not in other field situations. The practice had even spoiled her since the only real constraint she had been trained to deal with was time, no other pressures, and definitely not danger like this.

Yumihiko slid into place next to her, making sure his hair didn't get into the window's viewpoint. He was taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm down, but tears were poking at the corners of his eyes. To the right, Cecilia seemed to already be crying, but Edgeworth was well in the process of comforting her, muttering words only they could hear, hands intertwined. Opposite to them, Garnet sat in the corner, his gray eyes far more serious than earlier. He was also talking, but his words were louder and into a transceiver as he communicated with some other cops. Not wanting to bother either party for assistance, Nora took a page from Edgeworth's books and slipped her fingers in between Yumihiko's for comfort.

He started at first, but seconds later Yumihiko's fingers curled around hers. The teenager kept taking his deep breaths, though, and Nora was impressed that he hadn't started bawling yet. She felt a little rattled herself, but at the same time this seemed a bit trivial compared to everything else, even if it _was_ a life or death situation. Not wanting to lose that composure, Nora decided to focus on keeping Yumihiko calm.

"Talk to me, Yumi," she said, staring at the bullet hole on the opposite wall. She saw Yumihiko turn his head in her peripheral vision, so she pulled her gaze away to look at him instead. The brunette looked beyond startled, but his focus was on her, which was good. "Come on, talk to me about anything at all. Get your mind off it, calm down, and then take it back on one step at a time. It's been two years, Boy; surely there are things you wanna talk to me about, right? Hit me, I can take anything."

The same deer in the headlights expression stared back at her for a few moments, and Nora couldn't help but wonder if Yumihiko was in permanent shock. Ultimately, the prosecutor swallowed, looking down at the ground while he tried to think of something to say. When he did speak, his voice was a bit whispery, but still there.

"You need to stop that habit of intruding on crime scenes without authorization," Yumihiko commented softly, and Nora frowned a bit. She had only ever intruded twice, and that had been two years ago. What she had done today was _not_ intruding, considering Yumihiko had reacted like he had been waiting for her to show up at any moment. Regardless, it was something, and Nora decided she would take the opportunity to pick her own minor bone with the boy for argument's sake.

"We wouldn't have this problem if you were at your office like you were supposed to be," she responded. They wouldn't have been able to be shot at if they weren't on the crime scene, assuming the crime was the reason for the current situation. Nora decided it was best not to bring up that alternative, though.

"We wouldn't have that problem if you had contacted me beforehand." Yumihiko's voice had gotten stronger, which was good, but his words sent a pang of guilt through Nora's stomach. As happy as he had acted about her return, surely he had been hurt by the fact that there was no forewarning. Thinking about that only made her stomach feel worse, and Nora tried to avoid the topic, but it wouldn't budge.

_No, no, no, it's too soon for that. We have no time to deal with it at all. Besides, if there's anything that'll make me lose my cool when I need it most, it'll be that. And Yumi will work himself up over it and no! I can't deal with that now, there's just no way, no way whatsoever. So let it go. Let it go, Nora, not now! Don't you dare start thinking about—_

"If I had done that, I wouldn't be here at all!" Nora exclaimed. She tried to reign in the thoughts seconds after, hoping there wouldn't be any questions. She closed her eyes, the hand not holding Yumihiko's taking an exceptionally hard grip on her pant leg.

Fortunately, her conversation partner seemed to be far too into the argument to give up there. "I hope you realize that makes absolutely no sense!" Yumihiko retorted, nowhere near letting up. Nora knew it wasn't what was needed at the moment, but he hoped if she could distract him enough, he would forget she ever said anything to that effect.

"Oh, like your new outfit does!"

"Enough!" Edgeworth finally interjected, looking more than a little annoyed. Nora couldn't blame him, since it was a childish argument, but at least it had gotten done what she wanted. "You two can resolve these issues later!" _I really hope not._

"The man's right!" Garnet agreed. His serious demeanor dropped into a grin as he made sure he wasn't broadcasting into his transceiver. "This is not the time to deal with you sexual tensions!" Nora could feel her face start to burn in an instant and tried to form a counter argument, but nothing came.

"Um… Detective Westenberg…" Cecilia said, her face red as well, and apparently recovered from her tears. "I… I don't think that's what he meant…" It wasn't as strong as Nora would have liked the point argued, but she had to settle for it with her nonresponsive mouth.

Garnet merely raised an eyebrow. "You sure? Cause it sounded like it…" Nora also couldn't tell if she liked the man or not, considering his attitude. She understood trying to lighten the situation, but the moment called more for professionalism more than anything.

"I said enough!" Edgeworth reasserted, providing enough professionalism for all five of them. His hand slammed into the floor as well, just barely missing the remaining shards of glass. "This is a crisis situation; we don't have time for helpless discussions of any kind, is that understood?"

The window to Nora's left (behind her, really, as she had turned to face Edgeworth) broke the next instant, sending a small shower of glass into her back, although she didn't feel like she was hurt. She was vaguely aware of the fact that Yumihiko had called her name, and all the more aware of the fact that he had jumped up from holding hands to hugging her, double checking if she was alright. Once satisfied, he pulled back, and Nora could see a cut on his cheek—probably a result of the glass. It wasn't bad, but she went to dig in her purse for a bandage anyways.

"Alright, now that we're all focused on the matter at hand…" started Edgeworth. He looked a bit shaken as well, but that was to be expected with bullets flying at you. "We just need to stay calm and focused, and everything will be taken care of in no time. Detective Westenberg, what's the status of the team in the hallway?"

Garnet had gained a few cuts from the glass on his arms, but his grimace was more from the bad news he had to deliver than the pain. "They're in the same situation we are; bullets came in there seconds after our first one. Detective Gumshoe was on the way with a separate group of officers to rotate out the last I heard, though. We should be able to have them help out. It's safe to assume the shooter's somewhere in that building next door, right?"

Nora stopped in her search for a bandage to scoop up the map she had gotten from the aide off the floor. Conveniently, all of the surrounding buildings had been labeled so she could make she was in the right place. "That's an office building for… whatever the hell Bluecorp is," she said. "It should be relatively easy to get security camera footage and Intel on who shouldn't be there, right? Though an office building is a rather odd place for a shooter to decide to aim from, wouldn't you think?"

"It's not that odd considering who the type of man the old president was…" Edgeworth commented, more to himself than anything. Cecilia nodded at the words, and Nora decided not to think too hard about them.

Garnet proceeded to talk into his transceiver again. "Detective Gumshoe, this is Westenberg, as you know, we have a situation at the site of the Perry arson. It is requested that you and your men place the Bluecorp building next door under lockdown. There is suspicion that the unidentified shooter is currently inside. I repeat…"

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><p>June 17, 2021, 5:03 PM<p>

Gatewater Apartment Complex, Guest Parking Lot

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><p>"I'm sorry about that, pal, but we weren't able to catch the guy." Detective Gumshoe was a tall man with broad shoulders and a dirty jacket. He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he reported to Westenberg. "Everyone checked out in the building, and no one left between the time the shooting started and we got there. It's all very suspicious, but I don't know how it could've happened, pal. No one in the building even remembers seeing anything weird."<p>

It took some effort, but Westenberg reached up to pat the man's shoulder in a comforting gesture. "Don't worry about it, Gummy; I'm sure you did the best you could. Besides, I think we underestimated this guy big time. He even cleaned up after himself great—not a single clue to which room he shot from."

The words weren't very reassuring, considering that meant someone with the intent to kill could show up at any time, but Yumihiko decided dwelling on it wasn't the best idea in the world. Instead, he went to sit by Nora on a bench in front of the apartment building. She was doing her best to wipe off the ash from her purse with a napkin, with little success. Her clothes were in a similar state, too, although she didn't seem all too concerned with the matter.

Yumihiko couldn't say he shared the sentiment since his favorite dress shirt was effectively ruined, but he decided that wasn't the worst of his problems at the moment. One such issue was trying to find a good conversation starter so he could talk to Nora.

"So…" he began. _Real smooth there, Ichiryu._ "That wasn't exactly the way I imagined meeting with you again after two years."

"Which part? The scolding over the corpse or the bullets?" Nora responded, giving up on cleaning her purse and tossing the napkin in the trashcan beside the bench. Then she snickered a little, a small grin forming on her face. "Or was it the part where you didn't recognize me until Ms. Achhammer said something? Cause I thought you would at least guess it was me. Is the hair too much?"

Yumihiko realized that he wasn't getting out of not recognizing her right off, and his face heated up a second after. "No, no, your hair's just fine! It's… pretty…" he finished lamely. "I just really didn't expect you out of nowhere, but it was kinda like old times… except the lecture. That was my job last time."

"Sorry about that," Nora apologized. "I just really didn't expect… No, the body's fine, so that's all that matters. Besides, I'll fix you of your little problem in no time. Is it legal for a medical examiner to be a prosecutor's investigation partner?"

"Prosecutor Edgeworth employs a thief and his under-qualified, opposing profession girlfriend as his assistants; we should be fine." Yumihiko smiled at the concept; he had really only thought up to the point of getting Nora to America, and here she was, offering to work with him all the time. It was almost too much. "Speaking of your job, if we head over to the precinct and prosecutor's office soon, we should be able to file the paperwork in enough time for you to be able to look at Ms. Perry tomorrow…"

She stared up at the sky, distracted. "Yea, that should be good. Hey, I know this is a little sudden, but…" Nora started to shift in her spot nervously, and Yumihiko suddenly thought about all the topics she would be uncomfortable with talking about. The first thought he had was about what she had hid from him in England, and while he wouldn't have minded, it wasn't exactly a conversation he had imagined being conducted while they were both covered in ash.

"Um, you see, I don't really have a place to stay," she finished, and Yumihiko could feel his concerns slip away, although the curiosity was still there. At least it explained why she was lugging around a suitcase. "Since the case takes priority and all my time I could spend on finding a home, well… do you think I could stay with you, if it's not too much trouble? I really don't feel like shelling out money on some hotel, you know…"

"It's not a problem at all!" Yumihiko assured without really thinking. "I have a big enough apartment—well, it's kind of a flat, really—and there's a guest room and it'll be easier to talk about the case and—" _I want you to stay with me._ "—we can actually stop by and clean up before we drop by the precinct, is that alright?"

He took a few moments to reprehend himself for sounding so eager, but Nora paid no mind, her face merely lighting up in response. "That sounds great, Yumi. Thank you so much. I promise I'll be out of the way as soon as there's time, okay?"

"Don't worry about it." To be perfectly honest, he would have been alright with Nora living with him, but at the very least he kept quiet on that one. "I don't think there's much else we can do here, so we could leave soon. Oh, your suitcase definitely won't make it on the bike, so I'll go call a cab…" Yumihiko stood up, fishing in his pocket for his phone.

Nora gave him a questioning look. "'Bike'?"

He chuckled nervously. "Long story… I'll be back in a second." Yumihiko walked off as he tried to find the contact for the cab service on his phone. He was about to call the number when Westenberg slung his arm around his superior's shoulder. Yumihiko jumped, but was able to contain any noise.

"Yo, Ichi, if you and Ms. Southway over there don't solve your sexual tension problem, can I take a shot at her?" he asked.

Yumihiko made a mental note to dock the Detective's pay and pulled himself out of the man's grasp.

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

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><p>I seriously want to thank ghostfacekiller39 for the multiple reviews, fav, and follow, as well as the discussion we had about this story. I hope you continue to enjoy this story!<p>

Now that the cliffhanger's out of the way, I think we all can relax. Garnet is actually one of the characters I have the most fun writing out of this group, mostly because of all his nicknames and jokes give me a chance to lighten up the mood a little. Don't underestimate him, though. I'll leave it at that.

Next time Nora gets to poke around at the body, and our team has their first investigation meeting. Please look forward to it!


	9. Chapter 8: Keep Breathing

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter Eight: Keep Breathing

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><p>June 18, 2021, 11:21 AM<p>

Itami Hospital, Basement Break Room

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><p>Nora sat down in one of the chairs of the break room, tired of pacing. She had spent far more time on the autopsy than she would have liked, but her first guesses at cause of death other than fire damage in any form were wrong. There was no bullet (the shooting from the previous afternoon was still fresh on her mind, so she had thought of that first), no stab wounds, no loss of blood, and no blunt force trauma. The only thing left was an option Nora didn't want to consider, but she really had no choice. Not too long after she had the idea, she was proven right.<p>

The victim—Rosannah Perry, case file HD-3, corpse tag number 412879, _whatever_—had died of poisoning, roughly an hour before the fire had even been reported to start. What the poison was had yet to be determined, but could easily be figured out after the proper lab tests were done. Nora would have preferred to do it herself, but the lab boys were as possessive of their equipment as she was of being the lead corner on the case.

So she had been forced to wait. In the meantime she had written the majority of the autopsy report, and figured out how much of the poison had been used—a mere gram, making it lethal stuff. But other than that, the hospital's Wi-Fi was password protected, and Nora hadn't even considered bringing something else to do, resulting in the pacing.

At least it was a nice break room, which was a bit odd when you considered that it was in the basement. But the director of the hospital often performed autopsy work, so Nora supposed it made sense for the place to be so comfortable. The main reason why she had been redirected to the hospital for their facilities was that said autopsies were police cases most of the time. Maybe she could talk with this Itami Otome person about the speed of their employees' lab reports.

The door squeaked when it opened, and Nora quickly stood up, ready to complain about how long she had been left waiting. She wouldn't do it too much, considering there was a chance they wouldn't let her back into the hospital for future cases, but considering this _was_ for a murder, there had to be some leeway. However, her mouth snapped shut the second she noticed it was an elderly woman entering the room.

Nora realized she knew who the woman and Itami Otome were at the same time, which wasn't that difficult considering they were the same person. The woman was _old_ (to put it lightly), with a wrinkled face and thick, round glasses. A lab coat was draped over a green kimono, and her purple-gray hair was put up into a rather large ball of a bun at the top of her head. The woman was supporting herself with a wooden cane, almost looking like she was about to fall over. Despite that, Itami Otome purposely and slowly shuffled into the room, carrying the lab report Nora had been waiting on for the last hour.

Nora jumped up to help Itami to a chair and to relieve the woman of the papers. The young medical examiner was beyond surprised to see the coroner from the case at Big Tower, but she kept her composure, focusing on exactly _how_ the woman had made it to the basement on her own, particularly since there was quite some distance between the elevator doors and the break room. "Ms. Itami, where's your granddaughter?" Nora asked, not being able to put a name to the face in her memories for the girl that had constantly been at her grandmother's side two years ago.

She also forgot how said granddaughter often spoke for Itami, considering she had a hard time speaking up—and hearing, too, if the stethoscope dangling from her ears was any indication—so Nora almost missed what was said. She was able to catch "…her job…" though, which was enough to fill in the blanks. Nora settled Itami into the chair she had previously been occupying and pulled up another one before she asked anything else.

"I see," she responded. "Thank you for bringing me the lab report, although you could have sent it down with someone else." Nora opened the folder and pulled out the piece of paper, but remembered to lean close so she would be able to hear what the woman said.

"Nonsense…" Itami whispered. "I heard it was you, so I had to stop by… Besides, the results are interesting, and I was curious as to why you even checked for such a thing since this is an arson case."

Nora shifted uncomfortably under the director's gaze, which was rather intense for such an elderly woman. Then again, Itami had been proven to be quite outspoken against those she didn't like, at least when her granddaughter could do the yelling for her. Even so, the familiarity Nora was being treated with didn't help her uneasiness, and neither did her answer. "Gut instinct," she finally stated, staring at the lab report without really reading it. As thus, she almost missed the small smile that formed on Itami's features.

"You're just like your mother," she said, and Nora automatically stopped worrying about her answer and started thinking about other things.

"You knew Mum?" Nora asked, voice almost as quiet as her conversation partner's. Itami nodded, and Nora could feel the questions boiling up inside her. She had never known that her mother had ever spent time in America, let alone Los Angeles. And even if it was for only a short period of time, there might have been others that knew her. Nora swallowed and refocused her attention on the current case. She didn't need to be distracted by how similar the two were. After all, it was just coincidence. Cementing the thought, Nora regained her curiosity in the lab report.

"Botulinum?" she said, mouth turning dry. "They used _botulinum_?" Nora's hands tightened around the piece of paper, ruining its smooth surface. She'd need a new one to attach to the autopsy report when it was all printed out.

"I take it that you've encountered the poison before? That's surprising, since it isn't used much considering the restrictions on it… May I ask about the case?" Nora wanted nothing more than to refuse, but Itami seemed genuinely curious, so she relented.

"It was a long time ago, a case in England," she started, trying to keep the conversation as short as possible. Realizing Itami was eyeing her grip on the paper, Nora moved her hands to the front of her chair under the table where it would be less noticeable. "I… I didn't do the autopsy, just heard the results. The victim was Marisa Kaleigh; they never found the killer." She could see the look of recognition on Itami's face and panicked.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Itami, I need to report this in to the precinct. Every little bit of evidence counts." Nora stuffed her laptop and the crumpled piece of paper into her bag. "Thank you for letting me use your facilities!"

She walked out the door as fast as she could without running.

* * *

><p>June 18, 2021, 12:42 PM<p>

Police Station, Conference Room 3

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><p>"Alright, Sweethearts, we're all here, so let's get this show on the road." Westenberg grinned after his nonprofessional introduction to the meeting. Nora stood at the front of the room to give the autopsy results, almost nervously. Yumihiko didn't blame her in the slightest; he had been beyond simple nervousness when he had to participate in meetings at first. Cecilia must have noticed as well, because the two gave encouraging smiles.<p>

Nora took a deep breath and started talking. "As suspected, there was an alternate cause to Ms. Perry's death than was originally thought. It was found after extensive testing that the victim was poisoned, with a time of death predating the beginnings of the fire. Regardless of whether or not this is a case of arson, it _is_ a case of murder." She gave a small smile to Yumihiko, seeming more relaxed once she started.

Edgeworth didn't appear to be fully convinced, though. "If the cause of death was from poison, that doesn't rule out the potential for suicide," he stated. "The fire is explainable this way as well; Ms. Perry could have left out some sort of way for a fire to start and then committed suicide. The fire would start after her death, which would in turn alert people to the fact that she died at all. She did live alone."

"I care to disagree," Nora retorted, but Edgeworth didn't seem to be surprised. "While that is a probable situation, it is highly unlikely for the mere fact of the poison used. Botulinum toxin doesn't exactly give a quick death; there's paralysis first, not to mention it takes a while. There's no chance she would die in enough time before her theoretical self-started fire started. Hey, Yumi, you prosecuted this woman; did she seem like the type to commit suicide?"

Yumihiko didn't expect to be dragged into the conversation so early—let alone on this topic—so he stumbled over his words at first. "N-not really. She was a really strong career woman in her company, and her only possible problem with work was the victim in the case she was prosecuted in. In fact, Ms. Perry had just been promoted the day before she died."

"Not to mention she had a fair amount of medication in that medicine cabinet of hers," Westenberg added from Yumihiko's left. "You were there with me and Ichi when we investigated the place the first time, Edgey. She had enough meds to send herself off that way without finding a poison."

"Though it is still possible," Nora admitted, "just unlikely."

Edgeworth didn't defend his argument further, and Cecilia was the next to speak. "Ms. Southway, just what is this poison anyway?" she asked. "I've never heard of it before…"

"Well, it's really a neurotoxin instead of a poison, so I doubt you've heard of it before, at least by that name." Nora paused for a moment, and Yumihiko could only guess that it was for dramatic effect. "Botulinum toxin is actually the same chemical that goes into Botox, although it's a type that isn't really lethal… Though since it _does _have the potential to kill someone in its natural state, that's why people suffer from side effects. Clearly, it isn't common knowledge that this is the case, though; otherwise people would be much more cautious about all the Botox treatments out there.

"Regardless, this shit has potential to be a bioweapon, so botulin in its toxic state isn't exactly something easy to obtain. It takes _nanograms_ to kill someone, which doesn't even take that much research for someone to find out. Going back to the suicide theory, there's no way she would have used as much as there was in her system to take herself out. Looking at her body stats, it would have taken sixty nanograms minimum, one-hundred-and-eighty maximum. There was an entire fucking _gram_ in there. That… that's _overkill_."

"Oi, Southway, you okay?" Westenberg asked. Nora had folded her arms at the beginning of her latest explanation and had begun to squeeze tightly on her arms. Her voice had steadily been growing quieter, too, particularly on the last couple of sentences. Yumihiko stood up, arms out like he was going to do something, even if he didn't know what.

"Nora…?"

"I… It's fine," she said. "I'm okay, don't worry about it." Yumihiko could tell she was lying. People who were okay didn't look so scared, let alone sound it. He just didn't know what to do to comfort her, particularly since it didn't look like she was willing to say what was wrong.

"Ms. Southway, if there's something you're not saying that may gave us new light on the case, I request that you please tell us," Edgeworth stated. Yumihiko had no idea why he was talking about such a thing; the dots didn't connect at all. "I understand that sometimes there are things one does not wish to discuss, but you need to understand the situation. We are currently at a standstill in the investigation; most of our evidence was burned up in the fire. If we are going to 'think outside the box' in order to see the truth, we need to do it soon. The courts won't be satisfied with two of their prosecutors spending time on a defendant-less case for much longer, and while your findings are helpful, we need to show more progress before either Ichiyanagi-kun, myself, or both are removed from this case. Is there anything you can add so that we may continue on?"

Nora took a deep breath before answering, "It's just pointless connections; they're biased. If I keep thinking about it, it's just going to color my view of the case in a way where I find similarities in everything, to the point where I can't distinguish between the two." She seemed rather disgusted by the concept, contempt still able to show through despite the quiet tones of her voice. Edgeworth gave Yumihiko a glance across the table.

He cleared his throat. "At the very least, if you think it will affect your performance that much, you should still talk about it," Yumihiko said, without really knowing where he was going. "Even if it's painful, you… you've trusted me with some not-so-pleasant parts of your past before. I trust everyone here as much as I trust you, so you can count on them, too. If it's helpful, we should be able to move forward; if it really is just a clouding of judgment, we can help you surpass it." He did his best to give an encouraging smile, which was harder than it had been earlier. "Nora, whatever's bothering you, we want to help. Please talk to us."

For a moment, Nora still had the same pained expression on her face, and Yumihiko panicked that he had said something wrong. But she walked over to the chair at the head of the table, gripping onto the top of it, steeling herself. "I… I've seen this case before. Same method, same apartment, same type of victim, same lack of suspects, _everything_. This was the same way my mother died."

_Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ Yumihiko felt like he could kick himself. It wasn't that he had forgotten that her mother was dead—_that_ memory was firmly planted in his brain, as was the woman's skeleton—the modus operandi had just slipped his mind over the years. But now that she had said it, it was so obvious that it made him cringe for not seeing the similarity the instant she had said _poison_. Even worse, he had convinced her to talk about it.

"It's scary. I can understand that kind of death. People wanna cover up the method so you don't look for the right evidence in any way possible. I don't care about the fact that the two are paired together. If the real cause of death of poison, _fine_. It's botulinum; a little odd, but _okay_. But it's the same poison, the same cover up, the same _dose_, for crying out loud! I looked at this woman's status, too! She was twenty-eight! My mother was twenty-eight! They didn't catch who did it either! It's fucking terrifying!"

Her voice was on the edge of tears, even though she looked nowhere near crying. Nora lowered her voice, but her grip on the office chair didn't let up in the slightest. "It's stupid, and it probably has nothing to do with it. But I keep comparing the two anyway, and it's gonna fuck me up. I'm gonna _try _to connect the pieces, no matter how unrelated they are, I can just see it. And I don't wanna do it. But…" Her voice cracked, making her look down, bangs covering her face. "This can't be a coincidence, it just _can't_."

There was a silence, and no one moved. Even though Yumihiko felt responsible, he couldn't bring himself to do anything. It felt like nothing her would do would matter, but he resisted the urge to cry about it. In comparison, he didn't have the right.

"It's not stupid," Westenberg said, and Nora's head shot up to look at him. Her eyes were wide, and her cheeks were streaked in tears. "Even if that turns out not to be the truth, there's still a chance. So even if we don't know all the details, you need to tell us if you think there's a connection so we can solve that case along with this one. I promise that there're enough of us that we'll all see it differently to catch anything that's not the truth."

Nora nodded once, lowering her head again. She took off her glasses, trying to wipe the water out of her eyes. Westenberg smiled before continuing. "Besides, this poison thing is a lead we didn't have before. Edgey and I can go check out the scene for clues, and the three of you can grab something to eat. You've been in the autopsy room all day, right Norrie?" Nora nodded again, making no reaction to the nickname. "So go relax. I think two men plus some extra police help is enough to find a clue for now."

Westenberg patted Yumihiko's shoulder, getting in his ear for the second time in as many days. "You've come a long way in the past year, Ichiyanagi," he muttered. "Don't screw it up by not being able to take care of your girl." Before Yumihiko could process the words, he was being ungracefully shoved towards Nora, the result being an awkward hug. "Take care of the kids, Ce-Ce. Let's go, Edgey, we got business to do."

Edgeworth sighed before standing up. "Will you be alright, Cecilia?"

"I'll be fine, Miles. Go ahead and get closer to the truth." Cecilia stood up as well to peck Edgeworth on the cheek before he went to leave with his impromptu partner. Suddenly hyperaware of the situation, Yumihiko tried to pull away from the hug, but Nora wouldn't let him.

"Thank you…" The words were muted by his chest and filled with tears, but Yumihiko chose to take it as that, at least for the moment, they were alright.

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

* * *

><p>I know these keep coming kind of past, but this chapter's kind of a celebratory release for the fact that I finished working on a project that's very important to me recently, which would just happen to be this one! Since I actually manged to finish writing such a big project for me, I decided an extra release would be nice, plus it goes with some other of my overly weird posting rules. That just means that I have a rather decent-sized pool of updates waiting, although they'll probably slow down once school picks up again and I attempt to work on the sequel.<p>

Yeah, this thing has a sequel. Two, really. Technically three if I can properly formulate something about a recent idea that came into my head... but no matter. The point is that _All That Counts_ is written all the way to the end and that's cause for celebration.

Itami is an interesting character for me to write since I can't pick up on her manner of speaking as well as I can for Yumihiko's from what little Japanese I know from my time playing _Gyakuten Kenji 2_. However, I've done my best, accounting for differences I think would be there from when she talks on her own as opposed to having her granddaughter do it for her. Considering Itami's circumstances in the game, I decided to build up a relationship between her and Nora for this story.

The suspense builds, or at least I'd like to think so. Hopefully I'm making this a mystery worthwhile to read.

Next time, Garnet and Miles make some headway on the investigation scene. Please look forward to it!


	10. Chapter 9: Better Review

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter Nine: Better Review

* * *

><p>June 18, 2021, 2:18 PM<p>

Gatewater Apartment Complex, Room 429

* * *

><p>Garnet Westenberg didn't exactly know how he felt at the moment. Taking everything in perspective, his life wasn't going that bad. He was alive, for one, and in the LAPD, that was something to be grateful for, particularly when you were in criminal affairs and had been under fire in the last twenty-four hours. He had been able to get the ash out of his clothes from the previous day's investigation, which was nice. It had taken a call to his sister, a lot of hands-on scrubbing, and some bleach (in the case of his jacket, but he was rather attached to it, so whatever it took to get it clean was of little consequence) before everything went in the wash, but it had gotten the job done. He even had a lead in the case, which he had been a bit worried about yesterday. Then again, that was what was bothering him, despite the fact that it should have made him feel better.<p>

Nora seemed to be a really nice girl when she walked onto the crime scene the previous day. She was loud and a bit rude—then again, so was he—but under that it was obvious that she was _passionate_ about what she had come to do, and he could respect that. What wasn't obvious was that underneath _that_ was a whole other set of problems, although Garnet really should've guessed. It really shouldn't have taken him until the woman had started showing her weak side for him to have known it was there.

In retrospect, it was obvious how she had been faking being alright, even if the enthusiasm she had fell into helped cover it. It was also easy to see the descent into breaking down. Even worse, Garnet could tell Nora Southway had bigger problems than reencountering her mother's death. Regardless, she was going to hide everything until she didn't have a choice anymore, act strong, pretend to be alright for everyone else's (mainly Ichiyanagi's) sake—

_Now who does that remind you of?_

The fact that Edgeworth was glaring at him allowed Garnet to dismiss the thought. Well, "glaring" wasn't really the right term. Garnet had seen Edgeworth glare, and this was much tamer than that. But it was still a look that conveyed the message of "I recommend focusing, particularly considering the fact that I control your income." The detective merely smiled in response.

"Edgey, if you keep using expressions like that, you're gonna give yourself wrinkles," he commented. "You don't want those too early, since you're still relatively young. You still need to make sure Ce-Ce's gonna marry you, after all!"

"Detective Westenberg," Edgeworth said as seriously as always, although Garnet could see some pink on the prosecutor's cheeks, "I once again request that you refrain from bringing up my love life on the crime scene. Additionally, I once again request that you do not space out on the crime scene." It was notable that he didn't mention the use of the nickname. Then again, Garnet knew for a fact that his superior was (begrudgingly) used to it. "Surely you haven't forgotten why we're here."

As much as Garnet enjoyed being more of the comic relief of an investigation, he knew the difference between playtime and game time. The grin slipped off his face as quickly as it had appeared, leaving a much more serious expression in its wake. "Trust me, I know," he responded. "Norrie's dealing with a lot of problems thanks to that discovery of hers, and it's up to us to take that lead and run with it."

Garnet finally opened the plastic grocery bag that had been dangling at his side, offering it to Edgeworth first. The prosecutor reached inside, pulling out a small spray bottle and a pair of goggles, and Garnet grabbed the other set out when Edgeworth was done. They had taken a drop by the forensics boys before they had left, who then gave them tools to search for traces of botulinum.

Garnet would be the first to admit he wasn't good at any of the science stuff, so he had kind of tuned out the explanation Samuel Howard—a bit young, a little bit of a know it all, and all of a genius—had given them on how it worked. Something about something oxidizing something and something, which caused—_whatever_; it worked and let the police catch killers. That was all Garnet really needed to know, although he guessed Edgeworth would talk his ear off with an explanation if he said anything.

He just slipped his goggles on with a grin, failing at stifling his snort when he saw the prosecutor. Sure, Garnet knew he probably looked just as ridiculous, but it didn't matter. A laugh was all he needed to get the tension off his shoulders, so the glare—an actual one this time—was worth it.

This was the part Garnet looked forward to anyway; the reason he became a cop. Things didn't always look good in an investigation, and if there _was_ an investigation, things didn't look good anyway. But every now and then something hit and turned things around so that there was a fighting chance, no matter how small. And that's when things started rolling, started giving you a chance that, in the end, you'd be able to give somebody closure.

Rosannah Perry had lived alone, and the previous trial had shown she didn't have any close family left. She had friends from work, but obviously none of them were at the level to come beg the police to do something about it. Regardless, Nora was looking for reassurance that this didn't have anything to do with her mother's own death. Even if it did, that still gave someone to catch, and someone to give closure to. Thinking that, it was relatively easy for Garnet to work himself up into wanting nothing but to do his absolute best.

An hour later, though, his enthusiasm was a bit drained. Other officers had shown up not long after Garnet and Edgeworth had started, and the small team was able to scour every nook and cranny of the apartment with little difficulty. The only problem was that none of them had found anything in that entire time, and the smell of whatever chemical they were using was more than a bit prominent. Sure, the chances of actually finding traces of a poison in a burnt-out apartment were slim, but Garnet had actually felt like they had been on to something. The disappointment was almost crushing.

"Hey, pal, come here a second!" Detective Gumshoe called. Garnet practically ran over to where the senior detective was standing, a bit of hope swelling in his chest. The feeling promptly disappeared when he pulled the tinted goggles down and saw nothing. Garnet tossed them to the ground—Howard could give him an earful for it; he didn't care—and Gumshoe gave him an apologetic look before gesturing to the wall. "These are from the bullets yesterday, right, pal?"

Garnet felt his eyes widen before embracing his mentor in a three-second hug. Gumshoe stammered after his release, and the redhead burst into a smile. "Gummy, you're a fuckin' genius!" he exclaimed. In the rush to try and catch whoever their shooter was yesterday, they had completely forgotten about the bullets. "Oi, someone get over here and get me these out of the wall!"

It didn't take long for a couple of officers to get to work on it, and Garnet felt better all over again. If they had the bullets, there was a chance they would be able to use the ballistic markings to figure out who was shooting at them. And it was a good chance their shooter was the arsonist, or at the least connected.

One of the policemen pulled away from the group at the wall and came to stand in front of Garnet. "Sir!" he shouted, saluting. "We have retrieved both bullets!" The officer held them out, and Garnet picked one up, thinking he saw something odd. Turning the thing around, his excitement soared.

"Oi, Edgey! You're gonna wanna see this!"

* * *

><p>June 18, 2021, 3:52 PM<p>

Police Station, Conference Room 3

* * *

><p>"Whoa…" was the first word out of Ichiyanagi's mouth, and Garnet was inclined to agree. For an engraving on a bullet, it was pretty high detail. You couldn't see much else of the tree, but a couple of branches were apparent, as well as the apple hanging from one. Above said branch flew an owl, wings spread and ready for landing. It was a pretty piece of art, but that wasn't where Garnet's wonder came from.<p>

This was a chance. It wasn't random, as the other bullet had the same insignia on it as well. Okay, maybe there was a chance it was random, but Garnet highly doubted that. Personalized bullets weren't exactly common, and especially not in crime. It was the best shot they had.

"It is pretty," Cecilia remarked, now in possession of the bullet. "So if ballistic tests fail to get a match, we should be able to track down our shooter off of this logo." She paused as she looked around the surface of the bullet. "I wonder why this pattern. It's the slightest bit decorative for common customization…"

"That should make it easier to find," Garnet asserted, folding his arms. "And if the ballistics testing gives results as well, that will only serve to supplement the evidence. We'll be able to snag the guy, easily. Of course, once we're done with this bullet, the lab boys want it, too, just on the off chance that they were fired from separate guns. While there's probably only one person involved in this, we really don't have any evidence to suggest that there aren't more people involved."

"Additionally, we also have no guarantee that this shooter is the same person as our murderer and arsonist, assuming they _are_ the same," Edgeworth added. "We need to stay on high alert for anything we can find. Although I can guess that we've satisfied the courts that this investigation isn't a waste of time for Ichiyanagi-kun and myself. We should have gained a few more days, but don't let your performance drop. If we waste too much time, the truth will escape us."

"There's the poison, too right?" Ichiyanagi said, which caused everyone to look at him for a second. He looked nervous under the collective gaze, but didn't falter. "Nora said it herself; it's not a common poison, so shouldn't we be able to see if we can track sources? If our shooter isn't the killer, we might be able to catch them that way…" The lack of response made his words trail off, and the teenager wilted. "If I'm wrong, you can just say it…"

"No, you're exactly right, there, Ichi," Garnet reassured. The young prosecutor sighed in relief. "We've got ourselves into a good place. Now we just need to keep up the good work, and we'll figure it out in no time. Let's catch this guy and toss him away where he belongs!"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Nora was the only one that seemed distracted, which Ichiyanagi actually responded to rather quickly. Garnet felt a little bit better; not only did those two need each other, he was getting tired of doing his boss's work. "Nora, is something wrong?" Ichiyanagi asked, peering at bullet Nora was now holding in her hand.

"There's more than one person," she whispered. Garnet couldn't help but react, along with everyone else. While this woman had good gut instincts, he really hoped she had more than that to back up the assertion. Edgeworth seemed to be thinking the same thing, since he asked the question.

"And what makes you say that?"

Nora started a bit, seemingly surprised that she had spoken aloud. After regaining her composure, she answered, "Cesare."

A collective question mark formed over everyone's heads, and Ichiyanagi even let out a small "What?" (as if the curl on the top of his head wasn't enough). Nora sighed at the confusion, taking a moment to collect her thoughts. "Cesare is an assassination group; well, family really. They're deadly efficient, and while everyone _knows_ they do it, they don't get caught, and even if they did, they don't leave evidence. Well, except for things like this, but they do it on purpose. That way everyone can rest assured that they're still doing their job." She held up the bullet, showing off the owl and its tree to the group. "This is their insignia. It pretty much says 'Hello, Cesare did this; we'll collect our paycheck shortly.'"

"It's like Shelly de Killer all over again," Edgeworth commented, and Garnet shuddered. He didn't exactly have pleasant memories of the assassin, and he hoped he never had the misfortune of meeting him again. "May I ask how you know about this, ah…'Cesare'?"

"I learned about them from a case back in England," Nora responded. Ichiyanagi's mouth opened, but Nora cut him off. "And before you ask, no, it had nothing to do with Mum's murder. Throughout university, I did an internship at a coroner's office. There was general stuff, but he still did work for the police. One of our cases involved Cesare, front and center. Besides, I don't see a reason for someone to shell out the big bucks just to take out a medical examiner, particularly one that's a single mother. That's going a bit too far."

Garnet felt like commenting on the murder method was going too far, but he didn't want a repeat of the morning's incident. The detective kept his mouth shut, and Edgeworth spoke instead. "Is there any other information you can give us on this group, Ms. Southway? I understand if you don't know much considering the nature of such groups, but every little piece of information is helpful."

Nora frowned slightly, focusing for a moment. "Well, I know they generally work in groups to cover their tracks, but can make it look like it's the job of one person," she ultimately said. "They're also expensive, so when we're looking for the one that hired them—I refuse to let anyone that would sign an order to end someone else's life go free; bloody cowards—we need to consider either who has money to spare or who thinks it's worth it to blow away their cash. I recommend eliminating those in the second group first, since they're few and far between and really obvious."

Garnet processed the information, trying to see if there was anyone that matched this profile from the Rosannah Perry case. No one came to mind, but it was still something to look into in more detail, considering the last case had focused more on the relations of its victim. At the very least it was something else to look into that would help.

"There's something bothering me, though…" Nora commented, her eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

Cecilia was the one to ask. "What's that, Ms. Southway?"

"The Cesare _are_ a well-known family in the underworld, that's for sure. It's not unusual for them to take foreign operations, but that's usually pretty high profile jobs. I guess it wouldn't be impossible for them to do a hit in America, but something as low-class as taking down a career woman who has a relatively clean record? These guys primarily operate in Europe, and barely leave the place unless necessary…"

Garnet swallowed. As good as the leads were, he really didn't like where this was going. His voice was close to a whisper when he finished Nora's thought.

"…so what the hell are they doing here?"

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

* * *

><p>Garnet's narration is definitely one of the more interesting parts to write about this story (I realize this is in third person but when I write a section I tend to focus on one character's thoughts and reactions, thus making it some weird version of POV), as is his working relationship with Edgeworth. The two don't always have cases together, but they're meant to cross paths every so often, and it ends up like this.<p>

That being aside, the plot thickens! Cesare gets introduced this chapter, and are highly relevant in all of the Nora/Yumi plots I have planned. This is the first taste of them, so be prepared. I hope that this story is working out as a crime/mystery story with good pacing. If anyone wants to object to the way the plot is progressing, feel free to. Just because I've actually finished writing this doesn't mean commentary won't have a huge impact on how I write the sequels and other _Ace Attorney_ stories in the future, which I hope to do lots of.

As a note, Samuel Howard is an original character meant for one of those stories, as well as a friend of Garnet's on the force.

Once again, thanks to ghostfacekiller39 for your review!

Next time, Nora tries to get some work done, Cesare makes a move, and a new character makes their appearance! Please look forward to it!


	11. Chapter 10: Live Another Day

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter Ten: Live Another Day

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><p>June 18, 2021, 7:13 PM<p>

Itami Hospital, Lobby

* * *

><p>Nora stretched as she came up the stairs from the basement, trying to work out a kink in her shoulder. After discussing Cesare for a few more minutes and getting nowhere, they had finally decided to split up on following some of the other leads they had latched onto. Garnet had offered to stay at the precinct to start on hunting down the botulin source and wait on the ballistics testing to finish. Edgeworth noted that there was paperwork to file, so he retreated to his office to do so, Cecilia by his side. That left Yumihiko to accompany Nora, who had wanted to double-check the body.<p>

However, although he could handle a cadaver on a crime scene, Yumihiko was clearly not ready to observe autopsy work. He had insisted on staying when told he could leave if he wasn't comfortable, but Nora had to draw the line when it looked like the prosecutor would throw up on her autopsy table. She had thrown the boy out, cussing all the way, threatening him with inhumane intervention if he didn't _just go home_—a discussion that still remained on the recording set up so the proper notes could be added to the autopsy later.

It wasn't that Nora minded having people watch her work; she had gotten used to it from all the practical examinations she had performed at university. To be honest, she would like nothing better than to go through the process, explaining to Yumihiko all the little things he wouldn't understand. There was the basics, and things to look out for, tiny little triggers, technique—Nora could have gone on about it for hours, even without an actual body to dissect. But she wouldn't stand for anything that would hinder doing her job properly, and bile on the corpse was a definite hindrance.

It had taken a few hours of careful procedure, and Nora was almost convinced the body had been prepared specifically to burn in a way that would make it difficult to do her job. But she had still found what she had been looking for, despite the interference, and that made her feel proud.

Good old corpse number 412879 had been administered the botulin intravenously, which Nora had expected. After all, it took less of a dosage to shoot someone up and make it fatal; as opposed to making them breathe or eat the stuff—_Not that dosage is an issue here._ What seemed odd was _where_ she had finally found the puncture mark, which was at the base of the woman's neck. It was an odd place, and Nora had to wonder just _how_ the drug had been administered so simply, but if Cesare was involved, it wasn't that surprising. Now the only thing she had to shake off was the fact that the puncture wound was in the same place as her mother's.

Nora didn't want to think about it while she was alone for fear of any bias, so she pushed the thought out. There wasn't anything she could do about it other than report it tomorrow in the next meeting they had, and if it really bothered her throughout the night, she could talk to Yumihiko about it. She focused more on her stomach, which was starting to yell at her in hunger. Realizing she hadn't eaten since Cecilia had taken her and Yumihiko out for lunch and wanting some fresh air, Nora set out to a convenience store she remembered seeing a few blocks away from the back of Yumihiko's bike earlier.

The first thought Nora had had when the prosecutor had said "bike" the previous day was of the old-school-pedal-it-yourself bike. While she knew Yumihiko was old enough, the idea of him actually driving a car was an awkward image, and the concept of him using a simple bike was much easier to picture. However, when Yumihiko said _bike_, what he had meant was _motorcycle_, and things didn't get any easier to believe from there.

_Where _he had gotten the thing was overly easy to figure out; she had been in his garage two years ago, after all, back when he had been kidnapped. The motorcycle had been property of his father, although it had been de-customized since then to look more like a standard model. That was good, considering the skull-and-flame look didn't fit Yumihiko in the slightest. Nora was just surprised the boy had kept the thing, considering he had gone as far to burn the jacket that had been Bansai's gift, but she didn't want to question it. Dealing with a case was enough without digging up the past.

Not that _her_ past was making anything easier. Nora almost went to call Yumihiko to pick her up so they could talk, but then she remembered her phone was on the other side of the world. Not wanting to give in, she turned her thoughts to another element of the case while rounding a corner. _It should be the next block over, right?_

Cesare was definitely something Nora hadn't been expecting when she left for America. In fact, the Cesare case at the morgue had been one of the last ones before graduation, and she had remembered thinking that at least she _wouldn't_ have to deal with them anymore. But by and by, here she was, and there they were, too. She really wished she knew more about them, since that would be the most helpful thing of all, but that wasn't the case, now was it?

Of course, that could be something else for them to look into once they started brainstorming the next morning. As much as Nora wanted some of their efforts for the day to get through, she highly doubted some of them would, with the circumstances. Other than the insignia, the ballistics wouldn't register since she highly doubted the Cesare kept legal arms, and anyone that would have sold them botulin definitely wouldn't admit to it, and who knew which and how many bases they had in Europe to deliver to?

The only real hope for the efforts was if the murderer was someone outside of Cesare, which still _was_ an option. After all, the shooting didn't exactly have to be connected; the wrong person could have been at the wrong place at the wrong time. There was also the option that the poisoner had hired the shooter to take down those on the investigation, which also sounded probable. The only question was if the hit had just been put out on the wrong person, which one of them—

There had been nothing in the alley; she was sure of it. Of course, there wasn't anybody else on the street, either. Both of those were irrelevant as a gloved hand grabbed her arm, dragging her into said alley and proving her wrong. The immediate conclusion was that one of the two places hadn't been as empty as Nora thought, but all logical thought grinded to a halt when there was a stinging pain on her left arm. The pain triggered instinct, and Nora opened her mouth to scream.

The hand that was on her arm swung with enough force to send her head cracking into the concrete wall of the nearest building, and she grunted instead. Dots appeared in her vision, her glasses went askew on her face, and the spot of the alley they were in was completely void of light. Nora tried to focus on being able to identify her attacker for later, but it was becoming increasingly hard for her to focus. She vaguely wondered if the back of her head was bleeding.

Nora slid down the wall, not able to support herself. Her attacker let it happen, crouching down in front of her, the grip on her arm not letting up in the slightest. A plain, black mask covered his face, and it was too dark to even see his eyes. She thought about screaming again, but cold metal pressed up against her neck before she could even inhale.

"You've been shot at by Cesare, and you're stupid enough to go out alone on the streets of Los Angeles?" the attacker asked, the deep voice coming through a voice changer. There was the slightest chance it was a woman, although Nora doubted it. "Oh, well, this may be a group operation, but whoever gets the kill gets the bonus. Sorry about that." The knife pressed closer to her throat, and Nora swallowed. There was another sting, resulting in blood trickling down her throat. "Game over… Ms. Kaleigh…"

All thoughts synonymous to _I don't want to die_ disappeared in an instant. Nora still didn't want to die, but the fact that this man knew her original last name triggered something. If she _was_ going to die, she was going to get some closure. "Marisa…" she whispered, hoping to stall for time. "Marisa Kaleigh… did you have anything to do with it…?"

The man seemed to contemplate just getting it over with for a moment, put he ultimately lessened the pressure of the knife against her throat. "I see; someone wants some answers before they die. I can respect that," he responded. "Too bad I can't tell you much. But at the least, you can know that it was Cesare that carried out that operation. A fair sum of money, too. I, however, wasn't a part of it." Nora opened her mouth to ask a question, but it was gone before she could get the words out. Her vision was starting to black out, too. _This is bad…_

The man let out a small chuckle before sighing. "Sorry, but I can't tell you who signed the order. I generally don't mind telling people these things when they're about to die, but there's orders with severe repercussions, so you're out on that one. I guess I could get away with telling you who the original request came f—_oogh!_"

Nora had no idea what had just happened, but all of a sudden, the knife was gone from her neck. There was a _thump_ and the sound of thin metal hitting the pavement. A new hand latched onto Nora's arm, trying to pull her up. "Come on, we gotta go," a female voice said. Nora was too shocked, let alone dazed, to respond. There was an exasperated sigh, and the new figure kneeled down in front of her, latching arms underneath her armpits. Realizing that she was getting help with standing up, Nora pushed herself up with support from the wall, fixing her glasses in the process.

There was a groan to the left, and it didn't sound encouraging. Nora wondered for an instant just what had happened, but figured that asking questions could wait for later. The other figure stood up from the ground, taking ahold of Nora's arm once again. "I know you're really disoriented, and things look bad, but you just gotta hold out for a little bit. Don't think. Tap into instinct. Now what I need you to do is run, follow me, and don't look back, alright?"

Nora really didn't feel good. Her head had started pounding, her vision wasn't getting any better, even with the glasses, and standing up made her feel sick. She really wanted to sit down, but then she remembered the man who was presumably making the groaning noises had tried to kill her, and probably still would. He had said something important—_what was it?_—but that didn't matter now. Hesitantly, she nodded.

Her savior took off at a run, and Nora's arm felt like it was about to be pulled from its socket. She almost fell flat on her face but somehow started going. They were out of the alley in no time, but Nora still couldn't tell where anything was, let alone what the person in front of her looked like. They rounded a corner, and once Nora started to catch up, the woman ran faster than before. It was all Nora could do not to pass out.

She was surprised she hadn't done so already; she had been on the verge of unconsciousness right before the man had said her name, after all. But now there was just enough adrenaline going through her system to keep going, and Nora slightly smiled. _The human body is awesome,_ she thought before being pulled haphazardly around another corner.

It was hazy, but there was a lot of light ahead, all nice and white. It was the convenience store that Nora had been headed towards not too long ago. The irony was astounding. As they hit the parking lot, her leader slowed down, and Nora followed suit. The door was pulled open with a ding, and a wave of air conditioning hit Nora in the face. She was directed to lean against the wall, where she promptly slid down to the floor.

Her eyes were closed, but she could hear everything just fine. "Don't just stare, asshole, get some gauze!" the woman snapped, and something was knocked over. Nora guessed that the cashier bumped into something as they scrambled to comply with the request.

Despite her brain getting fuzzier by the second, Nora tried her best to think about the situation. She had forgotten most of what the man had said, as well as what she had been thinking about. She did her best to remember for later. _First it was the puncture wound… Then Mum… Then Yumi's stupid bike… Cesare… They're probably after one of us… And that man… He knew about Mum… He said something about… He's Cesare, right…? Does that mean…?_

Something else got knocked over, dislodging her train of thought. The woman spoke again, in the same annoyed tones as before. "Go start your car," she ordered. "I'm gonna wrap her up, then you're dropping us off that the hospital a ways over, got it?" There was no verbal reply, but footsteps went past and the door rang again. "It's okay; everything's fine."

The woman's voice was closer, and the sound of cardboard ripping followed. Nora could guess she was in front of her, and gauze started wrapping around her neck as if to prove the point. "You really didn't get cut too bad, but this is precautionary," the woman commented. "All you need to do is rest now; the hospital will take care of everything else."

Nora tried opening her eyes, which took much more effort than she would have liked. But at the very least, she wanted to have an idea of who had saved her. After a few false starts, she was being treated to beyond blurry vision, but it was enough.

The woman's face was concerned, but reassuring in its countenance, although that was irrelevant. Locks of dark brown hair framed her face, and far-too familiar chocolate brown eyes stared at her. It was shocking to say the least, but she had to be sure. Nora's voice was beyond weak and a sickening whisper, but she managed to push out the words.

"Miss… Achhammer…?"

Before she could get a response, Nora passed out.

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

* * *

><p>It seems like this story wants to take all the posting time I have and hog it all to itself, which I guess I'm okay with. This one's an interesting chapter since it kind of shows my weak action scene writing skills... Any tips on how to get better at writing action scenes would be terribly appreciated. There's not much else to say beyond that!<p>

Next time the news spreads around the investigation group and Nora's rescuer is revealed! Please look forward to it!


	12. Chapter 11: Save Someone

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter Eleven: Save Someone

* * *

><p>June 18, 2021, 8:07 PM<p>

Miles Edgeworth's Residence, Kitchen

* * *

><p>The last thing Cecilia Achhammer had expected at the moment was a phone call from her younger sister. Miles had finished the paperwork for the case about an hour beforehand, and spent the remaining time on doing additional work until Cecilia had convinced him that they should go home and rest. After all, there was no point in anybody working to the point of not being able to work at all. Her logic had worked, and upon arriving home, Cecilia had offered to make Miles some tea to make up for cutting him short at the office.<p>

She was in the process of waiting for the water to be hot enough when her cell phone started vibrating. Cecilia's first reaction was to be worried—her sister was a college student after all, and while Cecilia had yet to do anything in her college days that would be considered a problem; the youngest Achhammer was a completely different type of person. Even so, Cecilia calmed herself before answering.

"Rosemary, is everything alright?" she asked. Okay, maybe she wasn't perfectly calm, but it wasn't like she _sounded_ like it. Her voice had actually come out quite normal in opposition to the slight panic inside Cecilia's brain.

"_Yea, I'm fine,"_ Rosemary answered on the other end, and Cecilia let out a small sigh of relief. _"Well, dammit, that's not the right answer to your question. I'm perfectly okay, but there's still a problem. And I'm not in any trouble."_ Cecilia's mouth shut; her sister had anticipated the question. _"It's just… Do you know anyone named… dammit, what was it? Oh, here's the chart. Sis, do you know anyone named Nora Southway?"_

"Ms. Southway?" she asked. "Yes, I know her, but w…" The realization dawned on Cecilia that Rosemary had said there was a problem a few seconds too late, and by then, she was already in a decent panic. "Rosemary, what happened?! You said something about a chart; you didn't get hurt, did you?! What about Ms. Southway?!"

"_Sis, calm down,"_ Rosemary stressed. _"There was this guy in an alley and he had this girl and… It's not like I started going to fighting lessons in high school for nothing. But it's a pain to explain! The point is, I didn't get hurt, but this Southway chick got bashed in the head, so I figured the hospital was the best place for her. There was no contact information on her for that whole 'in case of emergency' crap—she didn't even have a phone! —and she thought I was you, so I figured you might know her."_

Cecilia stood frozen for a few moments, trying to process the situation. To be honest, though, Cecilia had never been good at putting things together under pressure, even though she was getting better at it. She could feel the tears start to prick in the corners of her eyes with disdain, and the teapot whistled at her almost in disappointment.

Rosemary most likely knew what was going on, even though they were over the phone, which resulted in an attempt at condolence. _"Listen, Sis, everything's fine," _she assured. _"I didn't get touched, and the doctors say Ms. Southway should be fine—she's just unconscious right now. If you don't believe me, you should just come down to visit. Get Edgeworth and his fancy ass car to give you a ride. Itami Hospital was close, so we went there. Come to think of it, you should probably come anyway; she'll probably be expecting to see you when she wakes up. Sis?"_

Cecilia tried to voice a reply, but stopped when she realized that her voice would just sound tear-clogged. Miles entered the room and quickly noted her situation. He closed the gap between the two in quick strides, slipping the phone out of Cecilia's hand without a word. He also removed the teapot from the stove, slipping his arm around Cecilia's shoulders the second it was free. The gesture was beyond comforting, and she tried hard to regain her composure as Miles took over the phone call.

"Hello?—Ah, Rosemary.—Yes, your sister's alright, what did you tell her?"

Cecilia took a few deep breaths, quickly calming herself. While she still had the issue of cracking under pressure, at the very least she had gotten better at recovering from any episodes in the past few years. It was a trait she definitely needed to fix if she was going to become a defense attorney, but she still had time before then. Besides, if she was going to cry over it, just how bad would Ichiyanagi-san take—?

_Ichiyanagi-san._

Miles seemed to have finished the conversation, setting her phone next to the teapot on the counter. Cecilia turned the situation into a hug, making sure she didn't start crying again. Miles had always been a good reassurance, even when they had barely known each other. "Are you feeling alright?" he asked, voice much softer than the professional tones he had used seconds ago. Cecilia nodded into his chest.

"We should go," she responded. "I don't like where this is case is going…"

"Neither do I," Miles said. "I may be simply jumping to conclusions, but I don't believe it would be stretching the situation too far to say Cesare paid one of us a visit tonight." Cecilia didn't like hearing it, but to tell the truth, she had thought the same thing. Regardless, she gave Miles a final squeeze before ending the hug and picking up her phone.

"C… Can you call Ichiyanagi-san for me?" Cecilia asked, offering the phone to Miles. While she felt better, she certainly didn't feel good enough to deliver any bad news. The prosecutor nodded in understanding. "We should call Detective Westenberg as well… Oh, and Miles, don't tell Ichiyanagi-san about the Cesare theory. He's going to be worried enough."

Miles nodded and put the phone to his ear.

* * *

><p>June 18, 2021, 8:32 PM<p>

Itami Hospital, Room 215

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><p>Rosemary Achhammer hung up her phone with an exhale of annoyance, not really pleased that she had needed to Edgeworth to take care of Cecilia for her. She had known the prosecutor for nearly three years now, and she <em>still<em> didn't like him, or the fact that he was dating her sister. Sure, she had improved a lot over their first meeting, but it was really for Cecilia's sake. Whether Rosemary liked it or not, Edgeworth was good for Cecilia, and it was just something the youngest Achhammer would have to deal with.

Regardless, her dislike of the prosecutor really wasn't the most important thing at the moment. She had tried to keep the details short when talking to Cecilia, but there wasn't a doubt in Rosemary's mind that Edgeworth would show up looking calm, but with internal guns blazing, looking for answers. She hadn't been able to figure much out from the short conversation of what was going on or who Nora Southway really was, but it was enough for Rosemary to guess she was from whatever case they had been dragged into this time.

Oh, and someone wanted her dead. Someone _definitely_ wanted her dead. Whoever it was that had pinned Southway in that alley wasn't any amateur—the animosity leaking off of him was intense but finely tuned, in a way that only predators could give off. Rosemary had been lucky she had even found the two in the first place since she had been so focused on the convenience store. It was even luckier that she had been able to sneak up on them, and nearly impossible amounts of lucky that she had been able to kick the guy in the head as hard as she could.

_I can't believe he just got up after that, though! I made a guy at practice pass out after that once, and that bastard just started to get up after about a minute. He better at least get a bruise or a headache or something!_

Considering that the guy had gotten up, Rosemary was beyond glad that they had run into the convenience store before they could be (she hoped) followed. It didn't help that apparently Southway had been hit in the head beforehand, either. It was the main reason the woman had even been checked in to the hospital, since the doctors were worried about a potential concussion. Other than that, she had only suffered from a few cuts, which were easily bandaged, along with the spot on the back of her head. Rosemary really hoped that the reassuring report would help Cecilia stay calm.

_So I didn't get any cookies and I made Sis cry. This is all Xavier's fault for eating my food. If he didn't, I wouldn't have gone out in the first place. Then again, if I didn't, Southway would have been dead, and I doubt that would have made Sis feel any better._ Rosemary pouted, not knowing whether or not the situation should be considered a good one or a bad one.

"Rosey, holy crap, what happened?!" an all-too-familiar voice shouted. Rosemary twitched, coming to a conclusion: The earlier situation was good, but the current one sucked.

"Detective Westenberg, call me that again and I rip off your testicles," she threatened, her voice relatively calm in comparison to the anger boiling inside. Unlike the good detective, she happened to know the proper etiquette for a hospital room, and neither shouting nor violence was a part of it. "Why are you even here?"

Westenberg erased the pout that had settled onto his face. Rosemary hated it when he got all serious; she could almost respect him then. "The precinct got a call a few minutes ago," he responded. "Obviously the hospital was all concerned about the fact that one of their patients had been attacked. Originally I was going to stay out of it—I have my own case to deal with, thank you—but then the Director's granddaughter got on the line, shouting about the victim's name. Once I heard it was Norrie, I had to come."

_So Westenberg's part of whatever this case is, too. And it almost sounds like he's the lead. Dammit, why him instead of Detective Gumshoe?_ Rosemary would have much rather dealt with Gumshoe as opposed to Westenberg any day, and she trusted the older detective a lot more with her sister, too. "So you know her?"

"Yea. We really only met yesterday, but she's the medical examiner for the case. She's helped us out a lot, in more ways than one." The smile completely faded off of Westenberg's face, and Rosemary didn't like it. Even when he was serious, the detective still seemed a bit happy on the edges. If that was gone, there was no way for Rosemary to fathom what level this case was on. "Listen, we're dealing with really risky circumstances this time," he said, voice lowered. "Yesterday, there was an attack on our investigation team at the crime scene. We have an idea of who it was, and this is probably connected. Anything you tell us could help—"

Rosemary didn't need to hear it; every little piece of potential evidence was helpful. Cecilia and Edgeworth always had stories about their cases; even _Xavier_ off all people talked about it, and he had nothing to do with law enforcement of the sort. Regardless, Rosemary shut the door to the hospital room, not really wanting to start a scene. She then reached into her skirt pocket—_that_ had taken some custom ordering, but was worth it—before practically shoving the knife in Westenberg's face.

The detective started, taking a few steps before staring at the weapon with wide gray eyes, practically begging for an explanation. Rosemary sighed. "I showed up a bit late to the attack, so don't you dare count my fingerprints when you examine this thing, got it?" she began. "Ms. Southway was down and against the wall. After I bashed the guy in the head, I went to help her up. She started to get up on her own, and the knife was close enough for me to grab. I didn't exactly have the time to handle it delicately, but I figured that every investigation needs evidence."

Westenberg quickly regained his composure, sighing in relief. He reached out, taking the knife into his own gloved hands. "This is extremely helpful, but was it necessary to scare me like that?"

Rosemary scoffed. "That's what you get for calling me that stupid nickname all the damn time."

"I thought that you were gonna rip off my testicles." The rebuttal didn't miss a beat, but Westenberg winced as he repeated the threat.

"That's only if you do it again. I really am getting sick of it, Detective. I'm not a little girl anymore."

Westenberg opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a small cough. That was good, considering Rosemary would have probably killed him if he started bringing up when they had first met. The sound had come from Southway's bed, and the duo turned to see the woman slowly sit up. Her eyes squinted across the room, trying to see without her glasses. Rosemary left Westenberg with the knife, going to pick up the accessory to hand to its owner.

Southway smiled at that, looking over Rosemary once she could see properly again. "You're definitely not Ms. Achhammer, huh?" she commented. Her voice was a bit weak, but other than that, it sounded like she had her senses intact.

"Nope," Rosemary answered. It had really amused her that Southway had mistaken her for Cecilia, but she guessed it made some sense. Their parents also mentioned that they looked alike, and they were even about the same height by now. Regardless, they had become easy to tell apart, ever since Cecilia had chosen to cut her hair short. Rosemary's was still long with a small—yet heavy—silver ring near the bottom of her hair. Then again, Southway had been pretty dazed, so it seemed like an easy enough screw up to make, particularly when their voices even sounded alike.

"You still saved me, though," Southway added. Rosemary scowled; she didn't want to hear it. She wasn't special for doing it. It just really bugged her when people did bullshit like trying to kill other people. Even with that, it wasn't like she had learned to fight for that reason—it was just a good way to get her extra energy out.

Southway only laughed a little. "I can guess you won't like it, but I have to say it anyway. Thank you, um…"

"Rosemary." Not wanting to even deal with the fact that the sentence would be repeated, she turned to settle herself on one of the chairs on the opposite side of the room. It was the best way she could think of to defuse herself from the situation. The only reasons she wasn't leaving the hospital were that Westenberg would want to ask her more questions, and that Cecilia was coming. _It's not like I'm a hero or anything… _

_Honestly._

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

* * *

><p>Ah, the Achhammer siblings, they're lots of fun. Unfortunately Xavier doesn't make an appearance in this story... But Rosemary does and that's all that matters. After all, her point of view is a lot of fun. Her role in this story is monir, but I look forward to getting to write her stories someday... Not much else to say anway.<p>

Next time, everyone comes together, some unexpected guests arrive, and Yumiho and Miles discuss some important things. Please look forward to it!


	13. Chapter 12: Never Say It

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter Twelve: Never Say It

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><p>June 18, 2021, 8:49 PM<p>

Itami Hospital, Room 215

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><p>Miles Edgeworth finally arrived at the hospital with Cecilia, not surprised in the slightest that Ichiyanagi had made it there first. The young prosecutor was already by Southway's bedside, almost bending his (expensive and bought with Miles's money) baton in half, already in tears. Miles could only assume that they were tears of happiness, seeing that Southway didn't look too beat up other than some bandages, and seemed to be functioning rather properly.<p>

No, it wasn't surprising that Ichiyanagi had gotten there before them, as Miles had spent a decent chunk of time on getting Cecilia to calm down. What was surprising, on the other hand, was that he had managed to navigate to the hospital safely on a motorbike in what had definitely been some manner of crying.

_Perhaps he called a cab..._

Cecilia had already detached herself to fuss over her sister, who was instantly in the sweet mode she only seemed to have when the older of the Achhammer women was around. They hugged, and Cecilia had tears in the corners of her eyes out of relief. Rosemary and Miles locked eyes for a moment, the same message in the look as always. Miles only wished she would get over her antipathy for him in the next few years. It would be rather awkward if his wife's sister was constantly berating him for the mere fact that they were even married in the first place. Then again, she had improved significantly since their first meeting, so at least there was hope.

Detective Westenberg, being the other odd duck out, spoke. "Well, Edgey, it's nice to see that you got that vest of yours cleaned. There's simply no other like it to fit you."

Miles's hand unconsciously ran down the silk surface, the splash of magenta rather obvious amongst the room. After it had been assaulted by ash, he had to result to express expert dry-cleaning, which had been rather effective. There was minimal hope for his shirt at the time, but the vest was more important. It _had_ been a gift from Cecilia after all.

"That's not what's important here, Detective Westenberg," he chided. "You cannot tell me that this isn't connected to our case in some manner. Unless Miss Southway has someone with a grudge against her, which is very unlikely for a newly graduated student, the only reason for her to be attacked is either a random mugging or specifically _because_ she has chosen to be the coroner for this case."

"It's not a happy thought, but you're right," Westenberg confirmed. He pulled a knife out of his pocket, encased in an evidence bag. Miles resisted the urge to take it from the detective's hands, instead offering out his own. The bag was handed over, and Miles looked at the new evidence. "Rosey said that she snatched this after kicking Norrie's assailant in the head. It was a really touch-and-go situation, but we can always confirm that she had nothing to do with it from Norrie's account. Ah, _not_ that I think Rosey had anything to do with it. Seriously, Edgey, we both know she has morals." Westenberg had lowered his voice so that there wasn't any commotion from the other parties in the room. "I'm just saying that we just need Howie or someone to disregard those prints when they go to identify, if there's any at all. Of course, you've already figured out the main reason why that theory's bogus anyway."

"Cesare," Miles breathed, his voice just as low as his partner's. The same insignia from the bullet was also on the knife's blade. The metal shined in the fluorescent lights, almost like a taunt. "Either they are directly after Miss Southway, which is to be considered improbable for now, or they are trying to pick off members of the investigation team."

"Bingo. It's definitely far too dangerous for any of us to go off on our own anymore. We also really need to make some decisions about what we're doing next, before the department starts breathing down out necks." Westenberg ran a hand through his hair, his expression between a grimace and a smirk. "Not like that really matters anymore. They could threaten to fire me, there's no way I'm going to leave this case. Besides, we have enough leads to work off still, but I don't wanna take any chances." Miles watched as the detective's gloved hands turned into fists. "These bastards... They went after one of my friends... I _won't_ accept that."

The prosecutor smiled. "You've always been loyal, Detective," he commented. "It never amazes me how quickly you can become attached to someone you met less than forty-eight hours ago."

"Well, besides the fact that she's you and Cece's acquaintance and Ichi's girl, there's this little instinct that just makes me have to care about her. Almost like some sort of connection... I think she and I are similar in far more ways than I care to think about."

It wasn't the first time that Miles could see it—that little hint that there was something more to Westenberg than he let on. Sure everyone had those sides to them, the ones they kept out of the way most of the time. At first, Miles had only assumed that the detective was a joker most of the time, with his seriousness and passion for work being the peculiarity that he kept shoved off to the side. But there were phrases here and there that meant there was something else behind all of that, and to be honest, it almost worried the prosecutor.

For someone so blatantly honest about himself, Westenberg hiding something almost felt like a blow to the trust everyone had in him, even if it was perfectly acceptable for anyone to have secrets. And for that secret to be shared with Southway, it only brought to question what else than the darkness of her mother's death she could be hiding.

_Focus on the case, Miles,_ he chided himself. _What they keep to themselves is none of your business. You hid yourself from Wright all that time, didn't you?_

"Perhaps we should call an impromptu meeting of sorts?" the prosecutor suggested. "We wouldn't go into anything too complicated and under wraps, but it would do us good to at least have a plan for how we intend to precede to act tomorrow morning."

Westenberg nodded. "Good call, Edgey" he agreed. "Even if it's just agreeing to meet up later, that's good enough. It'll give me somethin' to sleep soundly on, too. Oi, everyone—"

"Nora!" The door almost slammed open, the fact that this _was_ a hospital probably being the only reason for it not doing so. A man strode across the room, making a beeline for the bedside. "Nora, sweetheart, are you alright? It's bad enough that you disappeared a few days ago, but when we find you you're in a hospital? Just what has been going on?"

"Nathaniel, darling, don't be too overbearing," a woman's voice chided. It's owner glided into the room, heeled boots clicking against the floor. "Remember, the doctor stated that while she's miraculously clear of a concussion, exposing her to anything worrying is still bad for her."

Miles stared the (obvious) couple down, taking in the woman's dark hair and eyes, and male brunette, trying to determine their identities, since they clearly didn't have the courtesy to introduce themselves first. It wasn't until he noticed the man's eyes, the same shocking green that currently seemed terrified on Southway's face that he realized they must be her parents.

"Nora, we were worried, leaving so suddenly after graduation like that. Why did you just leave?"

Nora—to avoid confusion of having three Southways at once in his train of thought—said nothing, one hand in the center of a mess of bed sheet and curtain. Ichiyanagi, his own hand taking care of the other, surprisingly spoke first. "She had a job offer, Southway-san, Lillian-san," he defended, practically glaring at Mrs. Southway. "She's had a guaranteed position here in Los Angeles for nearly two years."

"And all the good that's apparently done her," the woman retaliated, her voice still sickeningly calm. It reminded Miles of the interrogation of a witness, though he couldn't tell who was supposed to be the attorney. "She's been gone from home for not even two days, and she's already in the hospital. I've told you over and over again, Nora, this sort of work isn't right for you. It isn't safe if you're getting attacked in alleyways while walking down the street."

"She's not the only one at risk here!" Westenberg objected. Cecilia winced, holding on to Rosemary's shoulders for support. The younger sister gave off a glare that was worse than anything she had even directed in Miles's direction. "We all are. But we've all accepted that a long time ago. It's our _job_ to put ourselves in danger so that other people don't have to be. That's why I became a detective in the first place! If that's what your daughter wants to do, then who are you to tell her no?! Well?!"

Mrs. Southway's smile was far too sweet, with malice perfectly intact. It reminded Miles almost of Dahlia Hawthorne, but not quite. "That's the thing, _Detective_, that she is my daughter and I am her mother. It is not up to you to tell me how to raise her. Even if I suppose she is past the point for me to treat her like a child, I still have a say in her well-being." Nora still didn't comment. Ichiyanagi looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't. Mr. Southway had the same problem, and his wife exhaled. "Though I do apologize for creating such a commotion. Nora, why don't you come home? It's all for the best."

"Please, Nora," Mr. Southway added. "We can take you home and you can recover in a private hospital. Then we can talk about your career, alright?" His daughter didn't even look at him, her eyes shut tight. Ichiyanagi's free hand traded out with the one Nora had been clinging to this entire time.

"There's no need to ignore this, Nora. Although I suppose it would take time to prepare a room for you back home..." Mrs. Southway considered. "But it would be simple enough for Nathaniel to take care of it overnight, if you even need to stay longer than that. We do have a room at a hotel to stay in, so we could simply stay until she's fit to check out."

There was a scoff, and all eyes (expect Nora's) shifted to Rosemary. "What? And no, Sis, I will not keep quiet," she added at Cecilia trying to contain the outburst. "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me. It's bullshit and you know it, every one of you. If Southway there _wants_ to stay, the only person that seems to have a problem with it is you, Mrs. Southway. I bet your husband there's perfectly content to let her work in whatever profession she damn well pleases, so long as she's happy. And, frankly, I don't see why you even care. You can't have the best relationship if your daughter decided to up and go to another continent without telling you."

"You know nothing about us," Mrs. Southway said. Miles could tell that there was an argument almost in action—if Rosemary was dropping curse words around Cecilia, then there most certainly was no backing down on the teenager's end—so he took it upon himself to intervene.

"Pardon the intrusion," he said, but I am Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth." He gave a small bow to the woman who remained unimpressed. "Mrs. Southway, I understand your concerns. As Detective Westenberg has said, we've all been in our share fare of danger, particularly recently. However, your daughter has a great talent that would be put to much waste if you simply dismissed it. In this case alone, she's been vital to breakthroughs that no one else would have caught onto if not for her. It may be because of her that we may bring this criminal to justice. And we were simply unprepared for the event that she may be attacked. I assure you that we will have proper protection surrounding her should a third incident occur."

The prosecutor winced as he realized his slip. Westenberg actually cursed under his breath. Mrs. Southway looked absolutely livid. Miles didn't even want to look at the hospital bed.

"Are you telling me," the woman seethed, concern and anger making a dangerous mix in her voice, "that this is the second time my daughter has almost died in the course of _two days_?" Several mouths went to object in defense, but the door was opened before anyone could get a word out. Miles soon recognized the nurse from two years ago, the hospital director's granddaughter. While she had grown since then, Mutō Tōko's black hair still was pulled back into its typical bun. She seemed a bit shocked at the number of people in the room, and the atmosphere probably didn't help either.

"Um, I..." Mutō stammered before fixing out the words. "I just came to let you know that visiting hours are almost over, so you should be leaving soon. Usually we allow one or two overnight visitors, but since Southway-san is still at risk, Grandma—I mean, Itami-sensei—is requesting that you all leave. You are all welcome to come back tomorrow starting at ten AM though!" The young nurse smiled before bowing and exiting the room.

Mrs. Southway frowned slightly, but ultimately relented. "We might as well let her rest, Nathaniel," she told her husband. The man stood up, patting his daughter on the shoulder a couple of times. "We can come back tomorrow and discuss things. Feel better soon, Nora. There's a lot to look forward to once you get home." The woman pivoted, heels clicking as she exited the room, Mr. Southway having to trail behind her. Miles sighed.

"We really should be leaving," he admitted. "Don't worry about the case, Southway, we can take the rest of the evening off and start fresh tomorrow. You're still a core part, too, so we might be able to hold the meeting here, if necessary." She still gave off no response. "Rosemary, I know this may be an inconvenience, but I'd much prefer it if you stayed with us tonight." The girl nodded, and a bit of Cecilia's worry seemed to disappear, as barely perceptible as it was.

"I can go back to the station and update paperwork," offered Westenberg. "I have the station car, so I'll be fine." Neither of the men mentioned Ichiyanagi. Miles ushered the Achhammer sisters out the door before him, noticing an almost pained look on Westenberg's face as the detective followed.

Curiosity got the better of him, and Miles automatically regretted it, his heart clenching as he watched Ichiyanagi pull his hand away from Southway's grip.

* * *

><p>June 18, 2012, 9:07 PM<p>

Itami Hospital Parking Lot

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><p>Miles helped Cecilia into the backseat, even though she tried to tell him she was alright on her own. "Miles, I'm fine," the woman said, and flashed him a weak smile. Rosemary made her way to the other side of the car, grinding her fingernails into her fists, muttering to herself. There was a slight sound that Miles was convinced was the girl saying "bitch." He usually didn't approve of cursing, but his own thoughts weren't all that far off in descriptors. The teenager took a deep breath to calm herself before sliding into the backseat with her sister.<p>

Miles closed the door and was just about to climb in the driver's seat when Ichiyanagi walked up to his bike. The two prosecutors had parked next to each other, and Miles dropped his hand down. Westenberg had already pulled out, so what he was about to ask could stay between the two of them if it didn't go well. "Ichiyanagi-kun," he started.

The brunette looked up, not even tears poking at the corners of his eyes. He was almost ready to start the bike to leave, and it seemed as if he would just drive off then and there. But his stern expression dropped after a moment, along with his shoulders. "What is it, Prosecutor Edgeworth?"

Miles debated on even continuing. Even if he looked less serious, the tension crept back into his body quickly enough, gloved hands clenching onto the handles. But there was still some part of the vonKarma way in him, enough that he wasn't about to back down from a challenge. "Ichiyanagi-kun, there's something going on with Southway's family." Ichiyanagi's mouth opened, but Miles was the more experienced of the two and cut him short. "It's not necessarily anything bad, but it clearly has a great effect on her. She wouldn't even talk to her parents, and you barely said anything either."

"If you trying to say I didn't stand up for her—!" It was the first time the young prosecutor had ever been truly angry in front of his mentor. For a second, he almost looked like his father.

"_Objection!_ That's not what I'm saying at all!" Miles's hand smacked against the car window out of habit. He calmed himself before continuing. "Please, there's no need for this discussion to turn into an argument. I have no doubt you acted the way you did for a reason." Ichiyanagi seemed to relax himself, but the tension was nowhere near gone. "I was thinking about it, though, and surely you would have fought tooth and nail any other time. So that means, why ever Southway herself was quiet..." Both took a glance at the hospital, even though neither of them probably knew which window to look at.

"...Ichiyanagi-kun, you know what that reason is, don't you?"

"Perhaps," Ichiyanagi offered defiantly. It seemed he was taking on the same stubborn demeanor he used in court.

"Please, this isn't the time for this, Yumihiko-kun," Miles pleaded. "If there's something that's happening in that family we can help with, at least in terms of informed moral support, we need to know! In know you've been looking forward to her coming for years, and that means a lot to you. There is no reason for her to be taken away simply because we don't know anything. She's a part of this group of comrades now, too. So, please, I'm asking that you please tell us what you know."

"No."

"Yumihiko—"

"No means no!" Ichiyanagi finally started his motorcycle, the sound of the engine breaking through the air. Goggles were pulled out from inside his jacket and placed over his eyes, which didn't even look at Miles. "I know what you're saying, Prosecutor Edgeworth, I really do," he said. "But there's no point in asking me about it. It's true I know something, but I don't know enough to be useful. And even if I did..." The young prosecutor pushed up the kickstand with his foot. There was a grace to the movement that Miles would have never imagined to see from the boy before. "...I'd still say no."

Miles hesitated momentarily, not sure what to say. He ultimately threw out gracefulness for getting the point across. "Why?" he asked.

Ichiyanagi smiled, not the usual cocky smirk or the happiness when he talked freely. It was sad, even though tears were miraculously missing from his face. "Because it's not my place."

The motorcycle sped off, leaving behind a trail from the lights as red as jackets once worn by father and son.

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><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

* * *

><p>This is the point where I picked up rewriting this story last November, so it kind of makes me wonder if the writing changed much or if it's even noticeable... Oh well, it serves its purpose as being an emotionally charged chapter, which I hope got across to you all. The next one's set to be like this, too so—wait a minute, it's not time for the preview yet!<p>

Thanks to 6GunSally for your review! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

Okay, now: next time, Nora has some dreams and makes some decisions! Please look forward to it!


	14. Chapter 13: Started This Fight

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter Thirteen: Started This Fight

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><p>April 6, 2019, 9:37 AM<p>

Big Tower, Deliberation Room

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><p>"You made them fake the autopsy report...?" Nora felt her hands clench into fists. She didn't blame Itami for being coerced. She didn't blame Mutō for being threatened. Okay, a part of her did, but she knew it wasn't their fault. This—all of this—had to do with man standing in front of her, the father of the obnoxious teenager she had fought with the previous day.<p>

Technically, she shouldn't even be here. The trip should have ended yesterday, and she and Ema should have been long gone. Their association with this Prosecutor Miles Edgeworth should have meant nothing, as he had been stripped of his position not even twenty-four hours ago. But, somehow, the coroner and her granddaughter had been kind enough to let Nora back into the scene, whatever reason that was.

And now she was staring a person whom she wanted nothing more than to seriously injure. This man was Yumihiko's father—_Yumi's father_—and he had played them all for fools. While his son was a false confident with an under-layer of breaking down into tears, Ichiyanagi Bansai hid behind crocodile tears, hiding his malice. The murder of Kagome Tsubasa had been his fault, and he had used Itami and Mutō to cover up the fact. He had tried to frame a _girl_ of all people, the spunky Kay Faraday that couldn't have hurt a fly.

And then he had told off his son, one he had raised to be that way, and Yumihiko had run off in tears.

"I don't believe it's your concern if I did," Bansai countered. He may have lost his wig in the midst of his breakdown, but not all of his confidence. "You're merely an observer. I don't even think you've justified a reason to be here." His smirk was terrifying, nothing like his son's.

Nora refused to back down, steeling her gaze. "My name is Nora Heather-Blossom Southway," she stated. "You were the only one absent for yesterday, so I'll say it again. I intend to be a medical examiner in the future. And what you did to these women, just to cover your own tracks... I won't approve of! I knew from the very start something was wrong with that stab wound, I just knew it! As coroners, it's our job to tell the stories of the dead. While in some cases we may be wrong, it's still up to us to be as accurate as possible. We were meant to at least capture the stories of the death to make up for the fact that they are no longer alive!

"And wankers... No, _bastards_ like you just think that you can do whatever you want. I understand that evidence is rather an issue. Removing evidence, fine. Altering the body—why the fuck not? It's all to protect your sorry ass, am I right? But when you go so far as to toss aside someone else's integrity and pride in their work, you've crossed the line!"

The room sat in silence. Even that southern photographer girl-whatever her name was-had been reduced to keeping her mouth shut. Nora waited for Bansai to say something, anything at all so she could retort. It would be nice to actually be able to argue for once, being able to fight for what she believed in instead of sitting there and agreeing. And then he laughed.

And he kept laughing, even though he was beat, standing there surrounded by police officers that were about to take him away at any minute, arms already secured behind his back with handcuffs. Even worse was that when he finally stopped, all he did was grin that same maddening grin he had worn the entire argument. "It's been quite some time since I've heard that speech. More than a decade, really." Nora didn't like the sinking feeling in her stomach. "And to think those words would some out of the mouth of someone who introduces themselves with that name of all things..."

"Wh... What are you talking about...?" Nora was too weak to get anything else out. She wanted to lean on Yumihiko, before she remembered he wasn't there anymore. She swallowed, and her fear was enough for Bansai's grin to grow even wider, a predator's urge. "What's wrong with my name...?"

"It took me some time to recognize why you seemed so familiar. But now it makes sense. I see it now; you look just like her after all..." His next words made Nora want to scream. "You see, the last time I heard that lecture was sixteen years ago, from your mother."

* * *

><p>June, 19, 2012 9:26 AM<p>

Itami Hospital, Room 219

* * *

><p>She didn't shoot up in her sleep, but Nora's eyes flashed open in an instant. It took a few minutes to remember where she was, what had happened, but it came back soon enough. So did the nightmare, events fresh in her mind as they had been two years ago. It wasn't the first time she had dreamed about that morning, though it had been some time.<p>

It was most assuredly strange, though. After last night, Ichiyanagi Bansai should have been the last thing on her mind. There should have been dreams of false mothers and arguments, maybe that one stupid dream, where she actually _was_ what Lillian wanted her to be, that perfect lady, _Nora_. But instead, it had been this snippet of the past, that terrifying moment when she realized that man, responsible for so many terrible things, had at once known her mother.

Nora had frozen, and she hated that fact. The recognition that her parents had found her so quickly was terrifying. If it had just been her father, maybe she could have dealt with it. But to see Lillian Southway standing there, ready to tear apart the new found world, was too much. Sure, the reality here in Los Angeles had been dangerous so far, but that was what she wanted. And main threat to it remained a false mother...

_Mum..._

She hadn't cried, even when Yumihiko, her last line standing, had left. The thought had crossed her mind, but she couldn't even convince herself to do it. All she could do was lie there, thinking about her mother—not Lillian Southway, but Marisa Kaleigh. The thought had been enough to lull her to sleep after Itami had checked up on her. Somewhere in the dream entanglement, Bansai had gotten involved.

The door opened, revealing the all-too familiar grandmother-daughter pair in its wake. _He had hurt these people, too..._ Nora thought, but banished it quickly enough. Itami slowly made it into the room with Mutō's help, and Nora focused on calming herself down before they were concerned over her. Well, more than they already probably were, considering she was bedridden in a hospital after all.

"'How are you feeling?'" Mutō asked for her grandmother, even though she was probably asking herself, too. Nora smiled a little.

"A lot better," she answered. "I can feel the bruise on the back of my skull, but the bandages on my neck are comfortable enough that the cut isn't being irritated." The conversation was beyond the norm in a hospital, but when both sides had medical knowledge, it was to be expected. "I just woke up, though, so I don't know if I'm really exhibiting any signs of a delayed concussion, though. I did pass out for some time last night..."

"'You were brought to us quickly enough that we were able to take care of things quickly enough...' Ah, Grandmother, are you sure it's such a good idea to let her go this quickly?" Mutō asked halfway through relaying the words. Nora was surprised herself, and listened in enough to hear the doctor's logic.

"She's so much like her mother that it wouldn't do any good to try to stop her..." Itami whispered. The young coroner tried to ignore the feeling in her chest she got from hearing the words. Everything was about mothers lately, now wasn't it? "Trying to stop a Kaleigh from going anywhere when there's a case to be solved... is like trying to contain a hurricane..."

Nora didn't know what to think about that, either. The idea of still being a Kaleigh was strange since she had held the Southway name for eleven years. Then again, she didn't really fit in with the Southways either, did she? With their perfect world and their money and their rules for being a lady. None of that was her. Maybe she was a lot more like her mother than she had thought. Nora stared at Itami, not able to determine her expression through her far too thick glasses.

"Thank you," she finally said, as Mutō took over the job of disconnecting the monitors. Nora stood up, stretching out for the first time since she had left to go to the convenience store. Mutō offered her a paper bag filled with clothes.

"No one had time to bring you anything last night, and we couldn't get the clothes you were wearing cleaned up either," she explained. "If you don't mind, I'd like to offer you some of mine to use."

"Thank you," Nora repeated to Mutō's angelic smile. Not wanting to be rude, she began to go through the contents of the bag.

She had to admit, Mutō's clothes weren't too out of the range of what she would wear normally. The jeans were baggy enough that they actually made it to Nora's feet, though the shirt was bordering on tight. Considering the comparison between Nora's body and Mutō's tiny frame, it was lucky that they fit like they did. _I'll just have to stop by Yumihiko's apartment,_ she thought, tossing her dirty clothes from the previous night back into the bag. It wasn't like she had anything else of value on her after all.

"I'll return these to you sometime soon, Mutō-san. If things work out, I'll be visiting here for quite some time. If not..." There was no if not in this situation, but she prepared for it anyway. "If not, I can send Yumihiko back with it."

Mutō frowned a little, probably remembering the room she had walked into last night. Itami didn't go to say anything either, meaning that the doctor probably didn't know. Nora was grateful—there was no need to spread her family issues amongst these two anymore than they already were.

"..." Itami said something, but Nora wasn't ready for it

"I'm sorry?" she asked. "I spaced out for a second there. What was that?"

"Grandma said to stay safe," Mutō supplied. Nora blinked in surprise as the two traded more words. "'You're invaluable as a coroner, so take pride in your work. Start a new hurricane and don't let it be over until it's over.' Whoa, that that's the most encouraging thing she's ever said!" The remark earned the young nurse a whack on the head with her grandmother's cane, to which she automatically responded with a smack to the old woman's bun.

Nora felt the smile tug at the corners of her lips. "I'll do my best," she said. Itami gave an almost unnoticeable nod before heading towards the door. The two made their exit, and Nora took one last sweep around the room.

Why was it that everyone had so much more faith in her than she did? Itami believed she could live up to her mother's example, and Edgeworth had spoken greatly of her skill the previous night. Both Achhammer and Westenberg gave such unconditional support, and Yumihiko... Whatever it was had been enough to create a friendship in as little as two days.

_I should at least try to live up to that, right? There's no point in them encouraging me if I don't give an effort for it._

Deeming that she had everything, Nora made her way to the door. And when she pulled it open, Lillian was there. The woman was dressed more for a party than a visit to the hospital, but that was normal. A quick look showed that Nathaniel hadn't come along for the trip. Nora would have ignored her were it not for the fact that her step-mother was standing in direct line of the doorway.

"_Mother,_" she finally said, enough malice in the words to make up for the fact that she had frozen the previous night. Nora was officially sick of running away from this woman just to please her. Besides hadn't that been the choice she had made when she left the house without telling anyone? So that she could stop living by Lillian's rules?

"Nora, I see you're well enough to leave already," her step-mother remarked, a small smile on her lips. "That's fantastic. Your father will be relieved. We didn't plan to leave this soon, but I'm sure we can at least secure some tickets for tomorrow morning at the latest." It seemed this was going to be the starting point.

"That's nice, although I don't care how long you two stay." That was a lie, Nora just wanted her gone, but the nice route was the beginning. "Just know that when you return home I won't be coming."

There it was, the bombshell. Lillian paused for a moment, as if she hadn't considered to be met with resistance. "Don't be ridiculous, dear. Why wouldn't you want to go home? Surely there's nothing here that we can't give you at home."

"I want this job," Nora retaliated. "I'm _taking_ this job, whether you like it or not. I know you don't exactly approve of this, but this is what makes me happy. Sitting there, playing socialite, as appealing as it may be to you, is _not_ what I intend to do with my life."

"If this is about a job, it's not as if you couldn't practice in England." Lillian still seemed to be reasonable enough about it, but Nora had a bad feeling in her stomach. "It's not as if there isn't a place in the world that doesn't need to have someone to... play with the corpses. Why does it matter if it's here or there?"

"Why does it matter to you? I want _this_ job, so if it's here or there, what's it matter?"

Lillian didn't waste a second on her comeback. "In case you haven't noticed, Nora, but you've already been attacked twice," she pointed out. "You've been put in the _hospital_ before. I understand that you got off lightly this time, but what if next time something broken? What if you get brain damage? What if you're _dead_?" Her expression was pained, and Nora almost felt bad for what she was about to say.

"My life's going to be in danger if I take this sort of job anyway." Almost was the key. _Besides, with Cesare being active in Europe, it'd probably be far more dangerous anyway._ There was no mention of the assassin group, though. "Making it closer to youwon't change that. Not to mention, I feel far safer here than I ever did back in thatlonely mansion. There are just so many people here that are willing to help me... Theycare for me far more than you ever did."

"Nora, don't do this," Lillian whispered. "I'm your _mother_. There's no one who cares for you more than Nathaniel and I do."

"You're my _step_-mother. Dad wasn't even there for eight years of my life. Sure, that's not his fault, but still. Mum is the only one that has the right to claim that. Maybe Dad. But most certainly not you."

It was exhilarating. Nora had always wanted to be able to do this; to be able to talk back, immature as it seemed. But a healthy relationship was one where you could talk freely. This big giant attempt at family was in no way healthy. "After all, if you were really okay with me being a coroner, you wouldn't have thrown the fit you did when I attempted to go to school. I bet you only did it because Dad thought it was a good idea, right? I really don't think you even had a problem with what the job was in practice. I just think you didn't want me to turn into Mum, right? Something to remind Dad of the woman he used before he attached himself to you? If this about having a perfect child, you would have just used Leopold and paid no mind to me, right?"

It was painfully obvious now, and Nora really wished things had gone that way. That she had been able to spend her time in the Southway manner away from all of the drama. That she had been allowed to do as she pleased, give or take a few manners lessons, and _not_ be integrated into the actual family life. Let her half-brother be the focus of all the attention and family expectation. All she had done was break it apart anyway. _If it hadn't been them..._

"Don't be ridiculous!" Lillian said, taking a few steps into the room. Her hands came to rest on Nora's shoulders. "True enough you may be evidence of an event that I wish had never happened, but that doesn't affect how I care about you. Both you and Leopold are my children, flesh and blood or not, and I love you both the same." She was panicked now, and Nora knew it. And she didn't feel the tiniest bit bad about it, even though she should. "It's true I wasn't there for eight years, but I have been there for you for twelve."

"You've never been there for me." The young woman wanted to yell, but the open door was painfully obvious behind her step-mother. "Not when I broke my leg in primary school, not when I was stressed, not when I graduated at the top of my class two weeks ago." Why were there tears forming on the edges of her eyes? It wasn't as if she wanted this woman's affection. No, that wasn't it.

She missed her own mother. She missed Marisa Kaleigh so much it hurt. Because she knew for a fact that had she been still alive, she would have been there for all that and more. It was the realization that she could have had all that that made her want away from this woman all the more. If this case really was connected with her own mother's death... Wasn't she just wasting time arguing about this?

It wasn't really a waste, since she was finally dealing with an issue she had had for years. It was simply that she had taken far too much time on this. True, Lillian Southway may have loved her children equally, but she would never love them as much as she had loved her.

"I'm not your daughter, so stop using me to replace her!"

The words hit home. Nora used the fact that Lillian's arms had suddenly gone limp as an opportunity to slip past her step-mother and out the door.

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

* * *

><p>More emotions, more fights, and Nora finally standing up for herself. A lot of what goes on here is trying to take Lillian away from the "evil step-mother" cliche, in that she's an antagonist from Nora's point of view, but for reasons that, albeit aren't here and in detail yet, but still exist. I hope this is understood and I promise they'll be talked about later... but not now.<p>

Also the last taste of events from the _Gyakuten Kenji 2_ timeline in this story in Nora's little dream. minor spoilers there I guess, and really what's meant to be foreshadowing for...other things.

Next time: Yumihiko picks Nora up from the hospital and the investigation task force comes back together! Please look forward to it!


	15. Chapter 14: Shift to Genuine

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 14: Shift to Genuine

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><p>June 19, 2021, 10:12 AM<p>

Itami Hospital, Hallway

* * *

><p>Yumihiko had returned to the hospital, hoping to be able to pick up Nora before it got too late. If they were able to actually take her out of the hospital, things would go a lot smoother. After all, it would make it so much easier to avoid the older Southways, since that was an issue.<p>

He had been surprised when Edgeworth had confronted him the previous night. Not that the man had known there was something wrong with the Southway family—anyone could tell that, it was infinitely obvious—but that he had brought it up in the first place. It wasn't like the older prosecutor to prod into other people's business, even it could have been deemed as necessary.

Yumihiko still remembered—there had once been a girl who told a boy about her mother's murder in a small English cafe, a girl and a boy who had been himself and Nora. While he had forgotten all the specifics a little bit, he knew that whatever integration into the Southways—_the part I don't want to talk about_—hadn't gone smoothly. It was something bad, something that was a problem, something that had been bad enough to make Nora run away, something that had followed her all the way across the ocean to a hospital bed.

And it wasn't his place to talk about it, particularly when he didn't know all the details.

But with all the details or without, a walk through the hospital hallway was enough to hear the argument taking place in British accents in room 219.

Yumihiko's first reaction had been to insert himself into the room, but that plan was quickly crossed out. Not that his support wasn't welcome, just that Nora seemed to be doing just fine on her own. There was no crying or silence on the other end of a lecture, and there was no forced obedience from her mouth. The two Southway women made their arguments back and forth, and it almost seemed as if Lillian was on the dissatisfied end for once.

It wasn't until there actually was a shout the signaled the end of the argument that made Yumihiko move. This was it, this was what she didn't want to talk about, and he might as well avoid it. The young prosecutor ducked into room 215, where the patient was fortunately missing for the moment. He heard Nora's footsteps head in the opposite direction. There was a silence before heals also made their way across the hallway floor.

Yumihiko did his best to calm down first, slightly out of breath from his short run. He took a short peek down the hallway, both directions before heading out. He made his way back to the waiting room, knowing Nora would have to pass this way if she intended to leave. Hopefully Lillian was already gone—there was no limited amount of trouble that could cause. Since she seemed to think her step-daughter's life was in danger, wouldn't he take some of the blame? Yumihiko was the one that had gone to England to offer her the job after all.

He didn't want to think about it that way, either. It was no one's fault that she had gotten hurt, other than the ones who had done it, right? After all, offering the job wasn't enough to make someone get hurt. And who could have known something as simple as arson could have been the work of international assassins? Yumihiko had heard many stories from Edgeworth, not just about his own cases, but those of a man named Phoenix Wright. They had gone through their fair share of troubles, too. Yumihiko had once been kidnapped himself—_by Oyaji_—so it was simply an occupational hazard, right?

Minutes passed. Even if Nora had gone a separate route to avoid Lillian, it shouldn't have taken her this long to make it out of the building. Yumihiko almost panicked, but calmed down by fiddling with his baton. He had to remember this hospital was also where Parks's body was. Maybe she had gone down to the morgue for a bit, to gain some new insight? Of course, with the way she talked about it, it seemed as if the act of working was enough to calm her down.

He stood up. It should be fairly easy to find the basement—he just needed some stairs. Sure, he could be wrong, but it was worth a shot. Even if he missed her, wouldn't she just go back to his place anyway? At least it made sense why she hadn't brought her cell phone with her now.

Yumihiko found the stairwell he had taken up to Nora's room earlier. Sure enough, the stairs went down as well, giving a clear path to the basement even if they looked intimidating. Yumihiko reached for his baton in nervousness, but stopped himself. It was just a basement. It wasn't like this was some horror movie, even if his destination was a morgue. There was nothing to be a afraid of. Steeling himself, Yumihiko took a step.

"Yumi?"

Yumihiko jumped at the voice, almost tripping down the stairs and gripping onto the handrail in support. A yelp of surprise escaped his mouth, echoing in the stairwell. Tears burned in the corners of his eyes, and he took a few deep breaths to push them back. Once he regained his bearings, Yumihiko looked up to see who was addressing him.

"Nora," he said, a sigh of relief mixed in the name. A smile broke onto his face, feeling foreign on his lips after everything that had happened the previous night. Nora smiled back from up the stairwell, and Yumihiko could tell she was forcing it.

Physically she seemed alright—the gauze was still around her neck, an obvious and unpleasant reminder, but that was it. The fact that she was even walking around freely meant that she was probably good to leave, especially since she was back in civilian clothes. She walked down her set of stairs, and Yumihiko went up his.

Up close, it was a different story. There had been bags under her eyes before, but they were more pronounced today, sticking out against her pale skin. Accentuating them was the redness in her eyes; she had probably been crying. Not knowing what else to do, Yumihiko pulled Nora into a hug without hesitation.

"Yumi?" Nora asked again. Yumihiko felt his breath hitch, and Nora put her own arms around him, rubbing his back. "Oh, Yumi, what's wrong?" Her voice was soothing, which only made Yumihiko feel worse. He had meant to comfort her, and was being comforted instead.

"I'm just glad you're alright…" he lied. Nora laughed, the sound soft and happy. Yumihiko tightened his grip around her frame, his own body starting to tremble. Even in a situation like this, she could still be happy. If that was the case, he wasn't going to ruin it by making her talk. The hallway was no place for it either. "You get to check out today?"

"Yeah, Itami and Mutō just came in saying I was good to go," Nora said. She didn't mention her mother. Yumihiko chose to respect that. Nora laughed again. "Though I think I may be getting special treatment because Itami knows I'm working on a case right now. I'm not complaining, but it's kind of embarrassing, really."

Yumihiko pulled back from the embrace, even though he didn't want to let go. Nora's expression showed that she felt the same way. "Well that makes things easier for us, though," he said. "Everyone was worried that we'd have to try and hold the meeting in the hospital, and it would just end up being a disaster to arrange."

"There's a meeting?" Nora asked.

Yumihiko nodded. "Yeah. I got a call from Detective Westenberg this morning, saying that we were gonna meet up over at the station but that we didn't want to leave you out of it. I decided to come over and visit to see what the situation was and—hey, Nora, where are you going?"

The woman had walked past the prosecutor, going to exit the stairwell. She didn't stop when her name was called, and Yumihiko scrambled to match her determined pace. Since he couldn't run, he was unable to keep up with her, only able to catch up once she had stopped to check out at one of the desks. By the time he was able to catch his breath Nora was already finished and heading towards the exit.

"Hey, Nora, wait up," Yumihiko said, catching onto the girl's wrist. Helpless to stop her, he was pulled along for the ride. "What are you in such a hurry for? The meeting doesn't start to eleven so we've got plenty of time."

Nora glanced up to a clock in the hospital lobby, frowning. "Bloody hell, Yumi," she cursed. She walked faster, exiting the building. "There's no way we're gonna be able to make it over to the station in time if we're stuck with public transportation. Cutting it a mite damn close, huh?"

"Calm down, calm down." Yumihiko made himself walk faster than Nora, guiding her through the parking lot. "I did kind of get told all of this on a last-minute basis. But I brought my bike with me so we'll be able to get there quickly enough."

"No offense, Yumi, but I don't think a bike'll get us there any faster than a bus w—_oh_." Nora stopped, gaping down at the motorcycle in front of her. It was like she had forgotten it existed. She raised a hand to cover her mouth. For a moment, Yumihiko panicked, thinking she recognized it as his father's despite the layer of paint. He looked down, just before Nora exploded into a fit of giggles. "If you're gonna try and be a biker, Yumi, we're definitely gonna have to do something about that outfit of yours."

Yumihiko's face exploded in color as he pulled on his helmet. He sat down on the bike and handed Nora a helmet of her own, his back turned so she couldn't see him blush. "You don't wanna be late, do you?" he asked. "Just put this on, sit behind me, and hang on tight."

"Right, right."

Nora was still laughing as she wrapped her arms around Yumihiko's waist. Despite himself, the prosecutor smiled as he started the bike and pulled out of this hospital parking lot.

* * *

><p>June 19, 2021, 10:52 AM<p>

Police Department, Hallway Outside Conference Room 4

* * *

><p>While Yumihiko had been willing to let the problem go in favor of keeping Nora happy in the hospital, he wasn't so sure he could keep it up now. They hadn't been able to talk much on the ride over, which was a blessing since Yumihiko had no idea what ridiculous things would have come out of his mouth with Nora pressed against his back. Walking in to the precinct he had forced himself to clear his head in preparation for the meeting, which had made him notice Nora's expression.<p>

In the hospital she had been faking a smile, but it was gone now. At first Yumihiko had thought that she was trying to take things seriously, too. Except her eyes were more worried than determined, swimming inside them some thoughts and emotions that the prosecutor knew he probably wouldn't be able to guess at just yet.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked. Nora looked at him, not expecting the question. Her lips parted but made no sound. "If you need to rest, it's fine, we can put the meeting on hold. Or I could take notes for you or something. You just got out of the hospital, no need to overwork yourself."

Nora shook her head, stopping Yumihiko's babbling. He would have kept going if she hadn't. Even though he had been trying to regulate himself, he would still say whatever was on his mind when he started to panic. "No, I'm well enough to sit in the meeting. I've given us enough delays as it is," Nora said. "I just had a nightmare last night… That's all. Come on, Yumi, we'll be late."

Nora went to open the door, and Yumihiko reached out to slip his hand around hers. Her fingers tightened around his, gripping too tight before relaxing. They entered the room together, Nora leading the way. Everyone else was already there, seated around the table. Rosemary stood, leaning against a wall near the back of the room. While they seemed serious, everyone's face lit up when they saw Nora.

"Oh Ms. Southway, thank goodness you're alright!" Cecilia exclaimed, standing up and crossing the room. "I was so worried that you wouldn't be able to get out of the hospital today. Though I was going to stop by to check on you later…"

"Well I'm alright now, Ms. Achhammer, don't worry about it," Nora said. The look on her face let Yumihiko know she wasn't used to being worried about by other people. "I'm perfectly fine, just need to switch out these bandages every so often and I'll be fine. It'll heal in a day or two. Wait, Yumi, do we even have gauze at the house?"

Two pairs of eyes fixed on him, one green, one brown, and Yumihiko felt his cheeks heat up. "Y-yeah, I think so. If not we can go buy some after the meeting's over," he said. He tried to remember exactly what was left in his first-aid kit; the young prosecutor was prone to scrapes and bruises through minor accidents and went through supplies quickly.

"I, for one, am glad you were able to make it to the meeting," Detective Westenberg said, grinning. Sitting beside him, Edgeworth nodded. "It's not a proper investigation meeting if the whole gang's not here." He sighed, expression darkening. "Though I'm sorry, Norrie, I'm gonna have to ask you to talk about the attack last night. I'm the officer in charge of that incident, so I need to file the paperwork soon. Are you up to it?"

Nora squeezed Yumihiko's hand but nodded. "With the testimonies in place we should be able to connect it to last night's case and count it as a lead, right?" she asked, walking to the opposite side of the table of where the two males already sat. Cecilia took her seat on the other side of Edgeworth. "I guess the abridged version is that I went to the convenience store, got attacked, and then the younger Miss Achhammer over there saved me."

Rosemary shifted, but didn't look at the table. Westenberg nodded. "That'll do for now," he said. "When we're done here we can go talk about it in more detail. Though that's really Rosie for you, charging into a dangerous situation without even thinking about the consequences. You're lucky she's like that or who knows what would have happened."

Nora shuddered. Rosemary scoffed, scowling at the back of the detective's head. "Didn't I warn you last night what would happen if you used that nickname again, Detective?" she asked, a far too sweet egde to her voice. Westenberg laughed nervously, and Cecilia seemed confused, forever oblivious to her sister's violent tendencies. Yumihiko felt sorry for the detective; he knew what it was like to be on the younger Achhammer's bad side.

"That you did," Westenberg said, still trying to laugh. "Well, since we're all here, let's start the meeting, shall we? No objections? Excellent!" Rosemary turned her attention back to the wall, a satisfied smirk on her face. " Rosemary turned her attention back to the wall, a satisfied smirk on her face. "I'll start. Since yours truly was working his ass off yesterday, both the ballistics analysis and botulinum research are complete."

"How'd it go?" Nora asked. She had winced at the name of the poison, but was still exerting effort to hold herself together. Yumihiko hoped he'd be able to do something to help her soon; it was getting painful to watch. "I'm not expecting much, but anything will help."

Westenberg grimaced. "And unfortunately we didn't get much," he said. "No registered gun has the same ballistics as our bullets, and there weren't any records of botulinum purchased in the States that couldn't be accounted for. Of course, that's probably a given, considering who we're dealing with. We could try to access European records, but that's not something that would be easy. Not to say we won't try."

The table fell into an uncomfortable silence at the news. It was disheartening to have what little leads they had fallen through. Edgeworth spoke next.

"These complications aren't helping our case," the older prosecutor said. "I spoke to the Chief Prosecutor this morning. The lack of a culprit is what's hurting us. While we can say it's Cesare, that doesn't mean a thing if we can't produce someone for court. However, they are willing to make allowances considering last night's events. Even with this, we are still limited to a few more days before Ichiyanagi-kun and I are removed from the case."

"We can't let that happen!" Yumihiko exclaimed. Nora's fingers tightened around his. "If that happens, what will happen? Even if the police are still attached to the case, how long will the investigation last without us? It's not fair…"

Edgeworth frowned. "I dislike the idea as well. While that is how our justice system currently operates, that does not make correct. I wish to pursue the truth of this case. All that remains is to solve this case before our time limit is up, as daunting of a task as that may be."

"What about that knife I yanked off that asshole last night?" Rosemary asked. Cecilia looked at her sister, wide eyed. "You at least get a fingerprint analysis done on it yet?"

Westenberg shook his head. "Howie finished the analysis last night, but nothing came up besides your prints," he said. Rosemary scoffed. "Obviously you're not a suspect since I'm certain Norrie will vouch that you weren't the attacker. However, the Cesare insignia on the blade at least shows that our suspects in this case have yet to abandon the country."

"What are they thinking?" Cecilia asked, her voice quiet. "If they wanted to escape, they could manage it easily. Sticking around is only going to make them easier to catch. What do they want so badly that they would risk that?"

"They're trying to kill us," Nora said. All heads turned to her. "This isn't just about Rosannah Perry. They _know_ about us. Last night the one that was attacking me knew about my mother. They knew my real name…" Her voice cracked, and Yumihiko put his arm around her shoulder. As soon as they could, he was going to take her home and comfort her, make her rest. She'd had enough stress already.

Westenberg's eyes narrowed. "It's not safe anymore," he said. Cecilia put her hand to her mouth, tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. "None of us are going to be safe until this case is closed. If they know us on such an intimate level, they have everything we need to kill us whenever we give them the opportunity. This applies to you, too, Rosey." The detective's tone was so serious that the girl didn't even complain about the nickname. Westenberg stood up.

"We need to see if we can get any residual clues off this knife as well as have a look at foreign records. I also need to finish filing my report as soon as possible to get it attached to this case. It does us no good if we run out of time."

_Not that we have much of that anyway,_ Yumihiko thought, but didn't say it. Partly because they didn't need it, the other part because watching Westenberg go into full command mode was enough to keep anyone speechless.

"Edgey and Ce-Ce can see if they can make any progress on the records we need. I'll do my job. Ichi, you need to take Norrie to rest for a bit and keep her safe. Swing by forensics on the way and tell Howie to see if he can find anything else on that knife. And Rosey…" Westenberg paused, looking the teenager in the eyes. "I'm sorry, Rosemary, but you're going to have to stick around here for a while. You got involved in this, so you're just as much of a target as we are. It's way too dangerous for any of us to travel alone."

Yumihiko knew Rosemary well enough to tell she would dislike the idea of being protected. She frowned slightly, as if her pride was preventing her from agreeing. Yumihiko hoped she didn't storm out of the room; if something happened to her, Cecilia would be devastated.

"I know what I got myself into, Detective," Rosemary spat. Her tone became less hostile with her next words. "But thank you for your concern. I understand what I have to do fully."

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><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

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><p>Well it's been a bit since I posted anything. College life happens. On the bright side, I finally posted something again so yay. If you're concerned about what I'm doing that doesn't involve posting things, I've put together a cluster of handy links on my profile page.<p>

This chapter was actually the first chapter I worked on over the summer, so we're catching up to the end of archives rather quickly. I guess that's just fine, though. Overall, I guess this chapter served its purpose of getting me back into the story.

Next time, the past is discussed in various formats! Please look forward to it!


	16. Chapter 15: Armor Down

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 15: Armor Down

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><p>June 19, 2021, 12:44 PM<p>

Ichiyanagi Yumihiko's Apartment

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><p>The apartment was quiet, but Nora couldn't bring herself to relax. After the meeting and being questioned by Garnet, she felt restless just sitting around trying to relax while everyone else was trying to work. Yumihiko did his best to help, offering her food and things to distract herself with—some video, a book, maybe a game?—but it just wasn't effective. Even if she rationally knew resting was the best thing for her after being attacked twice, hospitalized, and subject to a number of psychological shocks, it just didn't feel right.<p>

"I don't like it," Nora finally said. Yumihiko stopped in the middle of pouring himself a drink, turning to look at her. "I just can't stand sitting around here. I need to do something soon or I'm going to go insane."

Yumihiko frowned, going to sit across from her at the counter. The kitchen was rather open, tucked in a corner of the apartment with the island being the only real divider between that space in the next. Behind Nora was the living room. "Nora, there's nothing else that needs to be done that the others aren't handling," Yumihiko said. It was odd to hear a mature point from the boy's mouth. Nora took it as a fluke and pressed on.

"There has to be _something_," she stressed. "Everyone keeps talking about how if we don't hurry up we'll just end up losing the case. How can you just sit around with that sort of threat hanging over your head? That's like practically asking to have it taken away early!" Nora clenched her fists on the table, nails digging into her palms. It was dull compared to the near-cracking feeling in her skull from the previous night.

Yumihiko put his hands on top of Nora's; none of the tension left her shoulders. "Nora, listen to me. You want to know why I'm not worried?" he asked. Nora stared him down and gave a sharp nod. "That's because I have faith in everyone. I've seen Prosecutor Edgeworth and Detective Westenberg work on cases before. I know for a fact that they'll do everything that's in their power to stop this case from being taken away from them. And even if I and Prosecutor Edgeworth get removed, we'll still have you and the Detective to take care of it."

Nora felt a small amount of reassurance, but it wasn't enough. "What if we can't take care of it either?" she asked, bitterness in her voice. "What if Cesare gets away because I screw up? What if it's all just a trail to taunt us about the fact that we can't get them? What if I fail and this doesn't get anywhere, just like with my mother?! What if it's all because I didn't do enough?!" She was bordering on hysterics. The only thing that stopped her from standing up was Yumihiko's hands holding her own.

"Nora," Yumihiko said, a foreign sternness in his voice. The woman stopped, breath catching in her throat. Yumihiko squeezed her hands. "You can't think like that, Nora. It's not going to end up that way because we _will_ solve this. And if we don't, it's not going to be because of something you didn't do. You're the coroner, Nora. You've done way more than enough."

Nora took a few deep breaths. She knew Yumihiko was right; as a coroner she should have moved on already, been looking at some other cadaver on the table, observing to see what was wrong with it. She was going way beyond her training—getting involved with the investigation, trying to track down the killer. It was only reasonable, but it was still way more than what was expected of her. She sighed.

"I'm sorry," Nora said, running a hand through her hair. "I really do need to rest. I've just been stressed out because—"

"Because of the nightmare?" Yumihiko supplied. Nora stared for a moment, forgetting she had mentioned it before. It wasn't the whole reason, but it certainly had played a part in getting her to her current state. Almost everything that had happened did. "If you want to, you can talk about it. Sometimes that helps me out. I'd be willing to listen."

Nora wanted to ask what sort of nightmares Yumihiko had, but knew this wasn't the time for it. She looked down to her one hand resting between two of his. It seemed too natural, so comforting. If there was anyone she would be willing to talk about her dreams with, it would be him.

After more than a few moments of trying to find a graceful transition and failing, Nora gave it up for broke. "I dreamt about Big Tower," she said, using simplicity to start. The effect on Yumihiko was instantaneous; his hands tightened, eyes shot down, and he started to bite his lip. His reaction made Nora want to stop, but she knew he would just scold her. "To be specific, I dreamt about your father and what he said to me."

"What he said?" Yumihiko questioned, head popping back up. His eyes were filled with worry, and the little color that had been left in his face was now gone. "You talked with Oyaji? But when did he? What did he say? Did he hurt you? What could he possibly say to you that would make you have nightmares? I mean I don't blame you with some of the things he said to me… but he didn't know you at all I thought!"

The young prosecutor was leaning across the island, head jutting past the spot where their hands met. Somehow his face was a mix of panic, tears, and determination. Nora let him do as he wanted. "I mean, neither did I," she said. Yumihiko frowned, his brow furrowed in confusion. "It was after you ran off, when they arrested him. He said he knew my mother."

Yumihiko seemed to lose his ability to stand, falling back onto his stool in shock. "I'm sorry to ask, but do you mean your real mom or your step-mom?"

"Mum," Nora answered. "If he knew Lillian, it wouldn't be that surprising. But the way he was talking hecouldn't have been talking about her. He said he had been given the same speech before and that it was fitting that it came from someone with my name. And then he just… _laughed_." The girl stopped talking, and both she and Yumihiko shuddered in unison. "I haven't thought about it too much with everything that was going on lately, but it really does bother me that I don't know what he meant."

Nora drummed her fingers across the table, an irregular beat without any form of real melody behind it. Yumihiko stared down at his lap again, lost in thought. "Sorry I can't help," he whispered. "If I knew anything about Oyaji—the way he really was I mean—I could help. But in the end I knew nothing about what he was really like and he played me like a fool."

A smile pulled its way onto Nora's mouth without her controlling it. "No offense, Yumi, but you were a bit—" she paused to cough "—_foolish_ when you were younger." Yumihiko felt the color rise into his cheeks. "I understand that's not your fault, but he did kind of make it rather easy to manipulate you."

"That's true…" Yumihiko admitted, pulling his hands back to rest his head in his arms on top of the counter. "I believed all the things he told me, so of course I was willing to do whatever he asked. But in the end I guess it was worth all the trouble it caused…"

"You think so?" Nora asked. She adjusted, head resting on the palm of her hand "I don't know. I don't think I could look at everything that's happened to me and think it wouldn't be better for things to happen some other way. I can never say that it was worth it that Mum died."

"That's not what I'm saying at all!" Yumihiko sat up again, so fast that his ahoge bounced around a few times before standing upright. "It's just, from my point of view… if Oyaji hadn't done everything he had done, there wouldn't have been a case at Big Tower. And if it weren't for Oyaji, I certainly wouldn't have been there because I wouldn't have been a prosecutor. And if none of that had happened, I wouldn't have met you."

Nora blushed at the words right after they were spoken; Yumihiko had a few moments pass before it registered what he had just said and his face blossomed in color as well. The two didn't make eye contact for a bit, and silence fell over the room. Nora tried to memorize the layout of the floor tiles, while Yumihiko gained a newfound interest in a stray string attached to his glove. The silence was conquered when Nora burst into giggles.

"What's so funny?" Yumihiko demanded, feeling defensive. There shouldn't have been a reason for Nora to laugh at him, but he could see no other alternative.

Nora laughed a bit more before calming herself. "Sorry, I was just thinking about when we first met," she said. Yumihiko felt just as confused as he had before asking his question. "We were both so silly back then, getting angry over the fact that someone else was questioning us. I'd say it was because we were teenagers, but we still are and we're alright. At least we're better." She shrugged before rolling her shoulders.

"At least we can work together," Yumihiko said, smiling. "I think the only reason we ended up getting along was because you felt bad for me after you, Prosecutor Edgeworth, and Kay found me tied and gagged in my own garage."

Nora giggled into her hand, though she looked guilty about it afterwards. "I wouldn't deny that as being true… Though I never could figure out why you accepted it and let me become your friend after that. I was prepared for it to be a lot more difficult than what it was."

Yumihiko flipped his baton between his fingers. "Well, I had never really had many friends before, big surprise. I saw myself as being better than everyone so I didn't bother, and I bet no one besides Mikagami wanted to put up with me, either. So when you started being nice to me, I wanted to try to be nice back. That's all."

"Good thing, too, otherwise I'd be stuck back in England right now." Nora smiled, the most happy she had looked for days. It was refreshing, and Yumihiko hesitated to speak. He could still see her, back in a certain café two years ago, worried out of her mind and telling him not to ask any more questions—_The part that I don't want to talk about_. He couldn't forgive himself if he made her sad again.

But he could hear Edgeworth, too, last night in the parking lot telling him that it was necessary for them to know what was going on, that _there is no reason for her to be taken away simply because we don't know anything. _And even if it wasn't something that he wasn't in the place to tell others, that didn't mean he couldn't ask about it.

And he wanted to know. Not just for the case or because he wanted to make Nora feel better, but because he wanted to know all that he could about this girl. They already shared so much of their secrets between themselves that this missing piece wasn't something Yumihiko wanted to exist.

"Can I ask you why you ran away?" he asked, getting to the point before he could back out of even bringing the subject up. Nora's smile dropped, but she didn't exactly seem bothered, either. "That is, I would like to know the rest of your story, Nora."

He didn't feel like he was making any sense, but Nora seemed to understand. She nodded, looking off to the side, not looking at Yumihiko as she talked. "I guess I did say I would tell you one day, didn't I?" she said, her voice soft. "And it figured that you'd want to know after last night, after all. I suppose it's alright, as long as you don't mind me telling you a bit of a long story that doesn't all have to do with me exactly."

Yumihiko shook his head back and forth with abandon. "Of course not!" He reached his hands across the table, palms open. Nora placed her hands in his again, giving a light squeeze. The tiniest traces of a smile were present on her lips as she took a deep breath.

"Nathaniel Southway and Lillian Ryers married each other in an exuberant wedding, just like their parents wanted, and proceeded to have two children. The first was a girl, and naturally, they needed a son to be the heir to the family, so they would go on to have their second child years later. Lillian loved her daughter, and proceeded to dote on her constantly. Further, despite her age, the child was well on the way to growing up to be the perfect daughter Lillian had always imagined. It was almost a given that she would be just like her mother.

"Unfortunately, the daughter was very ill. Even though it appeared she was well on the way to overcoming her illness, she ended up overworking herself to recover. Neither of the parents would see it coming. Their daughter died when she was six. Lillian was heartbroken."

Nora said the words without feeling, as if she was reporting the results of an autopsy that didn't really matter. Yumihiko was starting to feel sick at the thought, with just how unaffected by the topic of death she was. If it weren't for the fact that she still cried when talking about her mother, Yumihiko would have been seriously worried about her.

"Two months later, Marisa Kaleigh was killed with botulinum, the method almost covered up by the fire her body was found in. Her daughter, that is, me, was left without anyone to take care of her and almost went into the custody of other relatives until her father, Nathaniel, stepped in to do the job. Lillian was skeptic at first, but she quickly sucked her new child into the role of the one she had already lost." Nora's tone was bitter.

"I was two years older than Lillian's daughter. I was expected to be exactly what Lillian had lost, to pick up where her daughter had left off, to be better than her. I came from a completely different lifestyle and wasn't interested, let alone didn't perform up to the standards of 'being a lady.' It didn't help as my half-brother got older. Leopold was just as perfect as his sister had been, and I was expected to outdo him as well.

"I couldn't do it. I wasn't a bad kid, but Lillian saw me as a disappointment. Father never noticed because she could put up a façade that we were just not compatible with each other, but he never knew we hated each other. I could have told him, but I was too scared to try, worried that I might get kicked out of the house.

"For a while I wanted that, but could never pull it off. I thought if I was enough of a disappointment, Lillian would get sick of me and focus all her attention on Leopold. When he got old enough to be sent off to boarding school, that went straight to hell. I was the only one in the house for her to pay attention to, and all my flaws only made it worse. I settled for half-assing the job enough so that I could still do what I wanted, but never so that she would accept me. I can't stand the idea of being what she wants me to be."

Nora paused to breathe, head staring down at her and Yumihiko's hands. The prosecutor wanted to say something assuring, but he couldn't think of the right words. It was the complete opposite of his life—he hadn't really accomplished anything, but Bansai had made it seem like he had. And he had wanted to be exactly what his father expected of him. What Nora was feeling was something Yumihiko had never experienced.

"I almost gave up, you know," Nora said, voice still quiet. "I was so stressed out trying to manage my life with Lillian that my performance at school was suffering. I kept getting behind in my work, making sub-standard grades. At the rate I was going at, there was no way I was going to be able to graduate on time, and that would be enough for Lillian to pull me out of school. My secondary school grades were enough to convince Father to pay for University for me, but Lillian had just been waiting for any excuse to cut that off.

"I was just about ready to say it was alright to do it. If I couldn't do what it took to get into the field I wanted, there was no way I could perform when it mattered. Lillian would go on and make everything work out so I would be respectable to the family and be married off in whatever direction would benefit the family the most. Except you found your way to a house in England to offer a job, one just for me, and… and I was just so _happy_…"

Nora inhaled, a sharp, quick breath, before covering her mouth. The other hand reached up, stopping a tear as it ran down her cheek. She looked confused, not having realized when she had started crying. Yumihiko disconnected their hands for the minimum amount of time necessary to cross to the other side of the island, wrapping his arms around Nora's shoulders.

"This is the last test, Yumi," Nora said, voice choked with tears. "If we can solve this case, it should be able to prove to Lillian that this sort of life is alright for me. At the very least, I might be able to get Father on my side. That's why I'm so worried, Yumi. This is the last chance I have to have the kind of life I want…"

"Shh…" Yumihiko whispered, stroking her hair. "It's alright, Nora. We can all solve this and everything will be alright. Even if we don't solve this, I won't let her take you away from me. This is where you belong, Nora, and I'll do everything I can to keep you here. So it'll be alright, I promise you…"

Nora cried into Yumihiko's chest, and he never stopped talking for a minute. Even if he couldn't understand the problem fully, this was a feeling he knew all too well.

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><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

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><p>Well, this is convenient timing! How are you all doing in <em>Ace Attorney<em> land? I just finished _Dual Destinies_, and I must say, it was pretty awesome. I was a bit concerned, but it really concluded well! Looking forward to the DLC case later on, but until then, let's just say this chapter is a conveniently timed celebration of the new game's release.

Also, a big thanks to Littlebluegreenfly for your follow and favorite of this story! It means a lot to me!

This chapter was an interesting one to write. A lot of things get talked about that I hoped I cleared out all my distortions in uploading to get through properly. If you see any sentences that just don't make sense, please point them out to me and I'll fix them as soon as possible.

Man, I hope I get more time to write soon. I have some interesting plot bunnies from _Dual Destinies_ that I would like to work on...

That, and NaNoWriMo's just around the corner! Is anyone else participating? My username's Aviantei and I'll be working on all sorts of stuff this month.

Next time, Yumi and Nora have some discussions outside of themselves. Please look forward to it!


	17. Chapter 16: Look Back On

**Potential Triggers: **Brief, nondescriptive mentions of suicide. Please proceed with caution.

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><p><strong>All That Counts<strong>

By: Aviantei

Chapter 16: Look Back On

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><p>June 19, 2021, 6:05 PM<p>

Ichiyanagi Yumihiko's Apartment

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><p>Yumihiko woke up to the sound of his phone vibrating, taking a few moments to realize what was actually happening. He sat up, slipping out of the bedroom, phone in hand, checking the time. Was it really that late already? What time had he and Nora actually fallen asleep? It made sense for Nora to need to sleep that long, but Yumihiko didn't see any reason for him to have passed out for the same amount of time.<p>

The phone continued to vibrate, impatient. The caller ID informed that it was Edgeworth calling, meaning it was most likely important. Suddenly feeling more awake, Yumihiko answered the phone. "Hello, this is Ichiyanagi."

"_How are you feeling Ichiyanagi-kun?_" Edgeworth asked. Yumihiko went to answer, but ended up yawning instead. "_I see. Perhaps you could wake up soon to help with the case? Detective Westenberg has been able to find a contact of his that should be able to help us gather information on Cesare._" The teenager was certain his heart rate went up at the news. "_The detective is busy juggling taking care of Rosemary and other business, and Cecilia needs to rest. I would like a hand while talking with this contact to make sure I don't miss any information we might need. Are you feeling up to it?_"

"Yes!" Yumihiko exclaimed, starting to get worked up already. This would be good news to tell Nora when she woke up, and it should lift her spirits. Remembering the coroner was still asleep, Yumihiko walked away from the bedroom so he wouldn't disturb her. "Nora's resting, though, and I don't think I should wake her up. She's been having trouble sleeping so…"

Edgeworth thought for a moment, then covered the end of the phone so Yumihiko could only hear muffled bits of the conversation on the other end. The phone rustled, signaling his return. "_That should be fine. I was coming to pick you up, anyway. Cecilia can stay at your apartment, and we can add some of my escort to those guarding it. If we don't have sufficient numbers, we can request backup. How does that sound?_"

Yumihiko nodded, then remembered he was on the phone. "That should be fine," he said. "When should you get here?"

"_In about ten minutes,_" Edgeworth soon. "_We'll see you soon, Ichiyanagi-kun._"

"See you soon." Yumihiko hung up the phone, trying to get himself back into work mode. He had promised Nora that they would take care of everything, so there was no time for mistakes. If it was an informant they were dealing with, it shouldn't be that difficult to talk to them. They just had to hope that the information was accurate. From the way Nora made it sound, Cesare had enough money to buy out the people that would sell their secrets.

_You can't think like that, Ichiryu,_ Yumihiko scolded himself, smacking his face lightly a few times. While he was trained to acknowledge the downfalls of any situation, this wasn't the time to point them out. This was the endgame, the part where you had to take whatever lead you had and make it work for you, as long as you weren't twisting the truth to make it happen.

Edgeworth had taught him that.

The doorbell rang while Yumihiko was in the middle of fixing his bedhead in the bathroom mirror. He brushed down some loose ends, adjusted his ahoge, deemed it satisfactory, and headed to answer the door. He hadn't liked the idea of having police guards in his living space, even if it was people he worked with, and had asked them to stay stationed in the hallway. They wouldn't let anyone through that wasn't involved with the case or could be perceived as a threat.

Cecilia slipped into the room with familiarity, while Edgeworth stayed in the doorway. Yumihiko could tell that the older prosecutor was ready to go and not willing to waste time. He was used to this Edgeworth, the one that always came out when things got tough. "Are you ready to go?" he asked, and Yumihiko nodded.

"Is Miss Southway in the guestroom?" Cecilia asked. Yumihiko blushed, and the woman giggled, nodding in understanding. When this was over, Yumihiko was going to find out exactly at what part of Nora crying had ended up in both of them sleeping in his bedroom. "Alright, I'll let her rest. If there's enough in your refrigerator, I'll cook her something for when she wakes up."

Edgeworth shook his head. "Honestly, Cecilia, you should be resting," he said, gentleness added to the chiding comment. "If you insist on taking care of everyone around you, I doubt you'll accomplish the level of relaxation you need."

"Don't be silly, Miles, this is what I do." Cecilia shook her head and looked at Yumihiko as if to say _Can you believe this guy?_ except that wasn't how she spoke at all. "It's only cooking and then I'll relax, I promise. If anyone is overworking themselves, it's you." The woman smiled then leaned up to place a kiss on Edgeworth's mouth. "Do your best, Miles. I'll see you later tonight."

Yumihiko looked away, feeling awkward at the display of affection in front of him, face tinted red. It was very unlike the couple to engage in such activity, and both Edgeworth and Cecilia were overly conscious of it. Yumihiko supposed that meant they were comfortable enough around him to do it, but the younger boy couldn't share the sentiment when it came to watching it.

He briefly found himself wishing he could head back to his bedroom and at least place a kiss on Nora's forehead, but that would only look suspicious at this point.

Resigned, Yumihiko gave up on the idea and followed Edgeworth out of his apartment, hearing the click of the lock behind them. They walked down the hall and passed the police guards. Detective Gumshoe was present, more than likely at Edgeworth's request. At first Yumihiko had questioned why his mentor trusted the scatterbrained detective so much, but he had come to understand over time. Just like Westenberg, the senior detective was just as loyal, if not a little less effective.

Gumshoe saluted, delivered a perfect "Good luck, sir," to Edgeworth, then the same sentiments to the younger prosecutor, except with "pal" attached to the end. Normally it would have caused Yumihiko to retort, but he felt too distracted. They headed downstairs, but the detective remained, presumably to guard Cecilia more than Nora.

They didn't say anything down the flights of stairs, or once they got into the parking lot. Yumihiko almost headed for his bike on instinct until he remembered he wasn't supposed to use it anymore until the case was over. It was too open, and he and Nora had only taken it earlier to make sure it wasn't taking up space in the precinct's parking lot.

Instead, they made it to Edgeworth's car, a few officers that were more than likely their escort coming to attention. Yumihiko still felt out of place every time he had to ride with Edgeworth, mostly because the vehicle was far more high class than Yumihiko could reasonably picture himself in. Not that Yumihiko couldn't have gotten the money together if he wanted to, he just preferred to live simply.

He somehow made himself comfortable on the leather seat, fingers twitching around his baton the second he pulled it out of his pocket. If Edgeworth took notice, he exerted enough tact not to say anything. The older prosecutor started the car, waited for the first car of their escort to pull out, then put the vehicle into drive to follow.

Yumihiko continued to play with his baton until he got the courage to speak. "Prosecutor Edgeworth," he said, considered his next sentence, then changed gears, "this contact of Detective Westenberg's. Are we sure they're going to be useful?"

"We're not sure of anything at this point," Edgeworth admitted. It was a somber reminder. "The contact happens to be involved in the international market, so it's not out of their way to work with people overseas. Their primary interest is Europe, though, making them a perfect match." He frowned, and Yumihiko wondered if Edgeworth was having the same misgivings that his protégé had had. "I didn't recognize the name when Westenberg gave it to me, but Detective Gumshoe seemed to know who it was. We're going to have to trust their word if we want to get anywhere at this point."

"Yes," Yumihiko said, voice quiet. The prosecutors fell into their own thoughts, a soft orchestra piece emanating from the speakers to fill the silence. Edgeworth seemed focused on driving, and Yumihiko resumed playing with his baton. They only had a small amount of time until they reached the police station. It was now or never. "I asked…"

Yumihiko was almost whispering. It sounded more like a child that had failed to get permission from his parents to do something with his friends and was now breaking the bad news. Edgeworth gave Yumihiko a glace out of the corner of his eye, then refocused on the road. "Asked what?"

The younger prosecutor took a deep breath. "I asked Nora about her family," he said. Edgeworth didn't press further. "I don't feel comfortable telling you what she said. I think she should do that herself but…" Yumihiko kept his eyes locked on his lap. "I understand the situation now and it's really, really important that we solve this case." Hesitantly, he raised his head to see his mentor's reaction.

"It's always been important, Ichiyanagi-kun," Edgeworth said. "The only thing that's changed is that it's become more so."

* * *

><p>June 19, 8:34 PM<p>

Ichiyanagi Yumihiko's Apartment

* * *

><p>When Nora had first woken up, she felt panicked, not recognizing where she was. For a moment she was questioning just about everything, from how long she had slept to if she was even anywhere close to where she should be until she remembered that this was what Yumihiko's room had looked like. It was embarrassing, having that much panic just because she had forgotten following Yumihiko into his bedroom and falling asleep crying. It must have been the stress getting to her.<p>

Despite that, once she calmed down, Nora realized that she did feel better. Everything that had been making her tense up seemed less bothersome, and the idea of solving the case seemed more viable than ever. Hearing that Yumihiko and Edgeworth had gained a lead brightened her spirits further, although she wished she could have gone along to help. It was hard to tell whether it was the sleep, the crying, or the good news that was making her feel better.

While Yumihiko had gone, Cecilia was left in his place. Nora had to admit that she didn't know any of her new comrades all too well, but Cecilia was probably the one she could claim to know the best aside from Yumihiko. The older woman had talked to her after Big Tower, had offered any help she could need, and had taken care of Yumihiko at the same time. She gave off some sort of motherly vibe, despite only being a few years older than Nora.

She would have rather still had Yumihiko around, but Cecilia was the next best thing that Nora could ask for.

Cecilia bustled around the second Nora had wondered into the living room, heating up some food she had made earlier. Only then did Nora realize how hungry she was, offering only a quick thanks before digging in. In opposition to Yumihiko's microwave dinner theory, Cecilia had prepared a home cooked meal from the rather limited supply inside the cabinets. It was a miracle, and Nora found herself asking for seconds before long.

It was like a sleepover, except a sleepover with a mother figure. Nora grimaced at the thought.

"Is something wrong?" Cecilia asked, ever concerned. "There isn't something wrong with the food, is there? Does your stomach hurt at all? I can get you something to drink if you need it." She looked as if she'd be willing to run to England to get Nora's favorite drink if it would help. Put off, Nora waved a hand in the air and swallowed her mouthful.

"No, no," she said. "It's delicious. I haven't eaten so well in the past few days, so this is the best thing I've had. I just had a not so pleasant thought, that's all." Cecilia seemed reassured by the praise, though her expression mellowed out quickly. She was very pretty when she smiled.

"Life is hard, isn't it?"

"Huh?" Nora felt caught off guard by the question, not being able to form a proper response. It was a true enough statement, but philosophizing had never been her strong point. Not knowing what kind of response was granted here, Nora remained silent.

Cecilia seemed to accept this, closing her eyes and placing her hands on the table. "If I were to tell you a story, would you object to it, Miss Southway?" She opened one brown eye, and Nora shook her head on instinct. Being rambled at for a while was certainly better than having to try and force her way into conversation. It would probably help her stop thinking too hard about everything else as well. "Well, if you're alright with it…

"I went through a rough patch in my life about four years back. I had never had much luck before. I was always a crybaby and got picked on all the way through school. But this was different. I had started to feel better about myself, about the direction my life was going in. I ended up taking a hard loss in my life, and it erased all the progress I had made. I started to consider committing suicide."

Nora shifted in her seat, starting to feel uncomfortable again. The warm welcoming feeling she had gotten was starting to disappear. It was hard imagining someone like Cecilia, who despite their faults and flaws seemed to own up to the type of person they were and carry on, trying to end her own life. Nora felt like asking questions, but the words got stuck in her throat.

Cecilia seemed to know what she was thinking and answered the question without being asked. "Miles and I had already met. To say I was interested in him was an understatement. He was helping me, and I relied on him too heavily. He disappeared and led us to believe he was dead. I didn't know what else to do so I…

"Well, I obviously didn't succeed. A very close friend of mine pushed herself on me, and made me work for it. I had my family to support me, even in times of crisis. And when I was finally back to being stable, Miles came back out of nowhere without telling us. To say I was a bit cross with Detective Gumshoe for keeping it a secret wouldn't be untrue." Cecilia laughed a little. Nora couldn't help but feel like her attitude on the situation was far too optimistic.

"What I'm trying to say, Miss Southway, is please don't give up," Cecilia said. "I know you're going through something difficult, but you can't let that defeat you. If you do, you just end up hating yourself. You're a wonderful person, Miss Southway, I don't want that for you. So just promise me that no matter what, you won't let what's been bothering you win over you, alright?"

Nora swallowed. There it was again, that blind faith in her that everyone seemed to have. She almost wanted to break down, tell Cecilia what all had happened, cry about it, tell the older woman that she wasn't someone strong enough to overcome what was in front of her. Even Yumihiko's assurance hadn't been enough to make it feel like they would get through this.

"I understand, Miss Achhammer," Nora said. "But I…"

The doorbell rang, followed by a series of frantic knocks on the door. Cecilia and Nora both jumped; Nora hit the table, the dishes containing her dinner clattering as they settled back into place. Cecilia recovered first, standing up to answer the door. Nora hesitated before standing up to follow. She didn't know just who would be visiting at a time like this, but that probably meant it was important.

Cecilia looked through the peephole in the doorway, her expression nervous. Nora clenched her fingers in and out of fists, waiting for a conclusion. When Cecilia leaned back down, she looked much more relaxed, a relieved sigh escaping from her lips. "Can we help you, Detective Gumshoe?" she asked, opening the door.

"Sorry to bother you, pals," Gumshoe said. "It's just…" He scratched at the back of his head, trying to find the right words. Nora noticed an envelope in his free hand, carefully opened at the side. She may not have known much about the detective, but she was fairly certain that he wasn't the type to open up letters with that much precision. "Well, this letter showed up, but it was delivered in person, so we were worried. We had to open it to make sure it wasn't another assassination attempt. Sorry."

He handed the letter to Nora, who blinked in surprise. Sure enough, her name was written on the front in impeccable handwriting, the Southway crest stamped on the back. The fact that either of her parents had even bothered to bring e it wasn'e known letter materials with them was ridiculous. Taking advantage of the fact that the envelope was already opened, Nora slipped the letter out.

_Nora,_

_I understand that we've had some differences about your future, and I would like to apologize for that. If it would be possible, I would like to meet up to discuss matters, just me and you. I'm certain that if we work with each other, instead of against, we should be able to come up with a solution where everyone is happy._

_I've made reservations for brunch at a café uptown tomorrow morning. Would you please come talk to me? I would like for this situation to come to a resolution before it's too late._

_Sincerely, _

_Lillian Southway_

Below were an address and time, giving directions to said café. Nora crumpled the paper up in her fist, just to relieve stress. Cecilia and Gumshoe watched, their faces filled with concern and awe respectively. "Ah, that felt good," Nora said, putting the paper against the wall and smoothing it out. "Detective, would it be possible to prepare the escort to go to the station? I think it's about time we had another meeting."

"Well, sure, pal, but what—" Gumshoe started, only to be cut off by Cecilia.

"Miss Southway, did you think of something important?" the older woman asked. "Does it have to do with the case? Is it some sort of lead?" She seemed much more excited than usual. Nora handed her the piece of paper.

"I just think I'm going to actually be able to promise what you wanted me to, that's all," Nora said, smiling. Cecilia beamed back at her. "I would like to be ready to go in a half an hour at most. Is that doable?"

Gumshoe nodded, and Cecilia set out to reading the letter. Nora headed towards the back of the apartment, heading towards the shower. She was going to need to clean up before going anywhere. She was still wearing Mutō's clothes, and she hadn't had a proper shower since yesterday morning.

This was no time to still smell like the hospital.

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

* * *

><p>Alright, that's what this chapter has in store for us. Looks like things are picking back up again for the case, huh? I hope that everybody's been enjoying this story so far, especially since it's drawing closer and closer to its end...<p>

I am also officially ten percent done with NaNoWriMo project, right on schedule! I hope that everyone else that's participating is making progress as well~.

Next time, discussions between mother and daughter. Please look forward to it!

120613 [EDIT: Fixed some text distortions]


	18. Chapter 17: The Sky Fell

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 17: The Sky Fell

* * *

><p>June 20, 2021, 10:23 AM<p>

Très Bien

* * *

><p>Lillian Southway, even if she wouldn't admit it, had always possessed a liking for the more unusual things in life. There was something relaxing about encountering the strange for her, probably because she had been so exposed to so many odd things from a young age. While the normal could be relaxing as well—like the life she had built with Nathaniel—it was too stagnant. Encountering something out of the ordinary was a reminder that the world didn't need to always need to stay the same, and that was enough to put her off edge.<p>

Which was why the café she had chosen was so soothing to her. It was a shock of pink, like a Valentine's Day nightmare, but it was something you didn't see every day. The same thing applied to the owner, for whom there were no proper words to describe. The food was questionable, but somehow edible, and at least her coffee defied expectations. The fact that she had nearly been pushed into using the newly installed private compartments was convenient enough to make up for the rudeness of the action.

The normal tables had partitions between them, but the private booth was even more closed off. It was also blatantly decorated for couples, although the lighting was turned up because it was still morning, which was good, as Lillian was missing her husband. This sort of place was one Nathaniel wouldn't particularly be interested in, which was a shame.

Lillian sighed. Just because they were supposed to have taste that didn't mean they couldn't try something different every now and then. Despite all its unusual quirks, Très Bien was a perfectly suitable restaurant, even for people with their stature.

There was a knock on the door, a pause where Lillian didn't put up any objections, and then the door was opened. Nora stood there, still in casual clothes but at least some of the nicer ones that her step-mother knew were a part of her wardrobe. Then again, Lillian also knew that most of her more suitable clothes were still back in England, abandoned in a closet.

Really, if she was going to leave with only taking the essentials, couldn't she have taken at least a little bit more of her proper belongings with her?

"Can I get you anything more, Miss?" the waitress asked, looking to Lillian. The woman shook her head, and the waitress turned her head to Nora as the girl sat. "And can I get you something to drink?"

"Um…" Nora glanced down at the menu in front of her, eyes barely skimming over the contents. Lillian watched her step-daughter, subconsciously evaluating her actions. It wasn't something she should be doing, but it was habit by now. "I'll take some tea, please." The waitress bowed and ducked out of the room, closing the door behind her. "Good morning," Nora said.

"Good morning, Nora," Lillian replied, smiling. She smoothed her hands over the skirt of her dress, resting them on her lap. "It's nice to see that you're doing well. No complications since you left the hospital?" Nora shook her head. "Wonderful. Now, like I said in my letter, I'd like to discuss the matter of you coming back home…"

"I already said that I didn't want that. We talked about this yesterday." Nora's eyes were still focused on the menu, avoiding eye contact. Lillian pursed her lips in memory, then reached to take a sip from her coffee cup.

It took more effort than the woman would have liked to admit to keep her voice steady. "I understand that you and I had a disagreement yesterday," she said. Nora scoffed as if to say that was one word for it. "But you have to understand that I was worried about you. It's hard coming home and realizing your daughter is gone. Both Nathaniel and I have been panicking for the past few days, worrying if we would be able to find you, if something had happened."

Nora sat the menu down, leaving it opened to a page. "I am a legal adult, you know. I believe if I wanted to move out, that would be my decision, not yours. Especially since I've graduated University already. Isn't moving out to live on my own what I'm supposed to do next?"

"Well, yes, but not without _telling_ anyone. We still want to help you, Nora, if you had told us you wanted—"

"You don't care what I want. So just stop the act and tell me why you're trying to kill us already."

Lillian paused, not knowing how to react. This hadn't been what she had come here to talk about. "Nora, what are you saying?" Against her will, Lillian's voice shook. "Of course I care about what you want. Just because our ideas differ doesn't mean I'd try to kill you? Are you listening to yourself?"

Nora sighed, tapping her fingers against the table. "I'm not here to play the mother-daughter game, anymore, Lillian," she said, an impatient tone in her voice. "I'm here to know the truth, to bring an end to this. I'm here to put the finishing touches on our relationship then leave it behind while I stay here and do what I want with my life. So I'll ask again: Why are you trying to kill us? Specifically, why did you go out of your way to hire _Cesare_ to kill us?"

The two women stared each other down. Nora looked so serious, sitting there and trying to push forward. It was enough of a reminder that she was growing out of being a child. She wasn't exactly an adult, either, but she was trying so hard to be one.

_So this is the life she's chosen._

It was almost laughable.

"Alright, very good, Nora," Lillian said, then took a drink of her coffee. Nora visibly swallowed. "To be honest, I didn't expect you to be able to figure this out at all. I practically handed you Cesare. But you really were just to assume they were protecting their case. I would ask how you figured it out, but there's no logical way to do it. How could you possibly think that someone like me had a motive for killing Miss Perry? Were you guessing? Were you _that_ desperate?"

Nora winced. She was getting so shaken already. No matter what she had done to think she was prepared for this, she clearly wasn't ready. Lillian allowed herself a moment to smirk before continuing.

"As you have gained by your lucky guess, you are right; I did order the assassination on Miss Perry. Additionally, I set out the orders that would put you as their next target, knowing you would take up your job as soon as possible. Even if you weren't investigating, they still would have followed you. Having you be brought into the investigation team provided a convenient conclusion for you to come to that would distract you from the truth. Did you all have fun, panicking for your lives?"

Nora had enough strength to muster up a glare, but not much else. The answer and the next question that would have followed if she could speak were obvious.

"But you wanted to know why," Lillian said, sounding almost bored. She picked up the spoon she had been given, stirring it in her drink so she would have something else to do. "As I said earlier, just because we have a difference of opinion doesn't mean I want to kill you, and that's true."

"The hell it is," Nora said, spitting the words out. "I've been trying and trying to think of a motive for you, and that's the only one that fits! I've been one big disappointment to you my whole life, from the fact that Dad had an affair with Mum to when I couldn't be Nora for you! I took a stand, I left, what else is there?!" Remembering where they were, Nora tried to lower her voice, only to have it crack on the last words. Lillian watched.

"You misinterpreted me, Heather." The effect after hearing her real name was immediate. "The part that was false was that I wasn't trying to kill you. Cesare are professionals after all, and they never fail in their orders. Did you think you survived because you were lucky when they attacked you? The largest assassin family in Europe does not make mistakes. You were spared because they were told to fail."

Heather's eyes widened, her attempt at controlling her breathing lost. "But he said…" she started, voice a whisper. "In the alley he said… whoever killed me would get the bonus… That means that you were trying to kill us…"

"Of course he said that," Lillian said, shaking her head. "I told him to say that. You needed to think that you were going to die." She lost control of her expression for a moment, and didn't make an effort to reign it back in. "I was trying to give you a chance. I wanted you to come home."

"So that means that other thing he said…" Heather paused, nearly choking on her next words. "The thing he said about Mum… You told him to say that, too… Which means… You know what happened to her. You know why she died." The girl's voice was almost a whisper, starting to get choked up with the sound of tears.

"I do."

"So tell me!" Heather said, hand hitting against the table. The coffee left in the bottom of Lillian's cup shook with the force, but was too low to spill anything. Lillian noted some of Heather's tea spotting the tablecloth on the other side of the table. "He got cut off before he told me anything because Rosemary stepped in to save me. No wait, was what he was going to say even the truth?"

Lillian smiled. There was some hope left in her step-daughter's skull after all. "Very good, I'm surprised you caught that," she said. "Just blindly believing what you're told by others only leads to trouble, Heather. But that aside, it would be the truth. Cesare were the ones that killed Marisa. I know this because I was the one that approved the order."

A few tears fell from Heather's eyes, and Lillian wondered if it was out of sadness or relief. Stress was also an option. Out of courtesy, Lillian chose not to comment.

"What's that supposed to mean…?" Heather asked.

"You're going to have to be more specific than that."

Heather raised her head. Even when she was crying she was stubborn. It was impressive and infuriating all at once. "You said you approved the order. But that's different than what it should be, right? It would make sense for you to want to kill Mum, but you wouldn't go that far. If that were the case you would have _made_ the order. But you said you _approved_ it. That wasn't a mistake, so what does it mean?"

It was sad that she had to have it spelled out for her. Lillian let out a sigh before answering.

"It means I let the order go through," Lillian said. "It was a job request initially. Someone came in with a name and said they wanted her dead. Someone whose plans had been ruined by your mother's uncanny abilities from the sound of it. I reviewed the request, reviewed the facts, considered the risks, collected the pay, distributed it, and let Cesare handle the rest.

"In other words, I have command over Cesare."

It was a good shocker of a statement, and it had the desired effect. It also wasn't entirely true, so Lillian had to correct herself. She gave herself a small amount of time to take in Heather's reaction, though.

"To be more accurate, I have command over a small faction of Cesare that operates in England, one of many. It was my set inheritance ever since I was little. My parents are part of the twenty-third partner branch to the Cesare family. Aside from the rules of taking on relevant requests in the area and maintaining the family's integrity, I am free to do with my faction as I wish, which was how I was able to put this whole thing together."

Lillian happily sighed. "I fully intended to make the Southway family a gateway into the next branch. While it is nice to have your family name associated with Cesare, it does get messy naming new partner family lines. Nora was so adept at everything, so ready to take on the responsibility of commanding her own line." She smiled wryly at her step-daughter. "I'm afraid that by taking on her name you failed to inherit any of her aptitude, Heather. I simply didn't bother, especially since you seemed to be the same as that mother of yours."

Heather made a face like she just might hit her step-mother. Lillian would have liked to see her try.

"There's still a chance, you know, Heather. You could come home. You could still be Nora. I'm certain that if you put your heart into it, knowing what you would gain, you would adapt quite nicely. Having connections to the police force would actually be quite useful. Do you know how easy it is to push leads away from you when you have an insider?"

"Piss off," Heather snarled.

Lillian sighed again, not knowing what else to do. This was her last chance to be diplomatic and she knew it. Putting that aside, there wouldn't be any other chances after this one. It would be best to end it here and get it over with, never to think about it again.

She looked at Heather, the girl she had tried to make her own daughter. While she wasn't Nora, she still had her own benefits. Heather was strong willed and stubborn, with a passion to not let something go unfinished. Those traits could have worked out for her, and in that way she was the same as the real Nora, even Leopold. But at what resemblance she had was overshadowed by the traits she had inherited from Marissa Kaleigh.

That was what sealed the deal. After all these years Heather had finally become a mirror of her mother, in looks and morals. Even if Lillian could convince her to come home, the woman didn't know if she'd be able to stand it. What Heather had said was correct; Lillian hated her because she was reminded of the woman that her husband had before her.

But despite that she hadn't wanted it to come to this. She had never wanted it to come to this.

Lillian reached into her purse and pulled out the handgun she kept there.

"This is your last chance, Heather," she said. "We can go home together. We can still be a family. But I won't let you stay here. I just can't let you do that. There's no way I'd ever be able to forgive myself if I just let you leave me like this. This isn't the kind of life you were meant to lead, Heather. So please."

Lillian knew her voice was starting to sound desperate. She couldn't help it. She had already lost one daughter without being to stop it; there was no way she was going through that again. Not when she could actually do something about it. She had already done everything else in her power to take Heather back, to convince her to be her Nora again. This was the last thing she could possibly do.

She had to hand it to Heather, though; she didn't flinch, even with a gun in her face. She wasn't completely unaffected, her hands gripping onto the sides of her hair with enough pressure to turn her knuckles white. It was a silly habit, but a telling one nonetheless. Heather looked to Lillian, an almost defeated look on her face, then lowered her head, not saying a word.

The silence was more than Lillian could take. "Come on, Heather, we don't have all day," she said, using impatience as a cover up. "I really do think this is a simple decision, don't you? You agree to come home with me, we both walk out of here like this gun doesn't exist. You insist on staying, I put a bullet into your skull and that's the end. It won't be the perfect solution, but it will definitely put an end to things."

Lillian pushed the gun into Nora's hair to prove the point. She wouldn't actually shoot it, but it was the same strategy as before. The threat of death was often enough to convince people to do things, even if the threat wasn't real. Heather valued her life, and that was enough. Besides, shooting at anyone in a closed space like this was a ticket to arrest.

The Southway matriarch tried to avoid the other reasons. It wasn't as if she couldn't shoot the gun. She could fire a gun. She had shot a gun at another person before. But in this one case it was different, because no matter how much this girl wasn't Nora, _she was still her daughter_.

"Can you not speak?" Lillian tried. "I know being at gunpoint is a stressful experience, but I didn't think it would hit you this bad. Well, aside from whatever adornments you choose to add onto your words, this really is a yes or no question. A nod or a shake of the head will suffice."

Heather's head moved up against the gun, and Lillian almost thought she would cry from happiness. In either case, her heart leapt up in her chest, then fell a second later. While Heather was looking at her, her expression was still filled with that hatred, the same look she had given her step-mother the day before, after their argument in the hospital.

"Mother dear," she said, "just how stupid do you think I am?"

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

* * *

><p>Well, in case you can't guess, we're getting close to the end of this story. It's certainly been an interesting ride... Especially working in Lillian's point of view in this chapter. I actually learned stuff I wasn't aware of while writing it,to be honest.<p>

I actually meant to post this yesterday, but we had a bomb threat at my school, so I kind of got pushed out of Internet access. There wasn't really a bomb and no one was hurt, but it certainly was an adventure! Although my school's really small so stuff like this shouldn't happen in the first place...

Putting that aside, next time, we take a step back to the night before. Please look forward to it!

120613 [EDIT]


	19. Chapter 18: Get Ugly

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 18: Get Ugly

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><p>June 19, 2021, 9:53 PM<p>

Police Department, Conference Room 2

* * *

><p>Yumihiko sank into his chair around the conference table, feeling exhausted. While he had only been talking on a phone with an informant and Edgeworth for the past few hours, said informant was a tiring person to talk to. While she was certainly knowledgeable enough, Melissa Free liked to jump around topics, asking questions back and insisting on getting answers before going on with what she was supposed to be telling them. Although her services were supposed to be a favor to Detective Westenberg, Yumihiko guessed the information she had pulled out of them was her way of earning some form of payment.<p>

Westenberg picked up on his expression and tossed him a lopsided smile. "She sure is something, isn't she?" he commented, and Yumihiko winced. Westenberg laughed. "Really, she's like that to everyone, so don't feel bad. Believe it or not, she was worse when I first met her."

Yumihiko wanted to ask—how could someone like _that_ possibly be _worse_?—but let it go. Nora was leaning against the head of the table, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She had been waiting for everyone to gather up and was starting to get impatient. Yumihiko supposed he and Prosecutor Edgeworth were to blame, considering they had taken the longest time to arrive, despite being only a few doors down.

It didn't change the fact that Nora looked the most energized she had in years to him.

Rosemary was still standing in a corner, looking bored. Yumihiko almost felt bad for her. While it had only been for a day, she had been forced to rearrange her whole life because she had stepped in to help someone. Not that she looked affected by it in the first place. Cecilia was seated at the table, hands in her lap, and smiled when Edgeworth finally entered the room, a stack of notes in his hands.

"Alright, let's get this thing started," Westenberg said. Edgeworth sat, but Nora remained standing. The detective dropped his feet from the table's surface once he received a steel colored glare from the other side of the table. "Well, Edgey, Ichi, you two have been hard at work. What do you have for us?"

"I'm afraid that what we learned isn't as helpful as we had hoped," Edgeworth said, and Yumihiko was forced to nod. The younger prosecutor snuck a glance at Nora, but was unable to read her expression. "Other than what we already know, we gained two pieces of information. The first is that Cesare is under large amounts of protection in Europe. Their high success rate is due to the fact that they have influence in police and government organizations across the continent, and thus actions are never taken to arrest them."

Nora grimaced, her hands forming into fists on the tabletop. Yumihiko tried to think of something reassuring to say, but Rosemary beat him to it.

"Well, that doesn't matter," the younger Achhammer sister said. "That only holds true in Europe, right? Please tell me you got that confirmed." Yumihiko wracked his brain for an answer, and Edgeworth nodded. "Well, the last time I checked, the U.S. broke off connections to anything that had to do with being a part of Europe a couple hundred years ago. If we catch them in the act here, there's nothing their fancy little connections can do about it."

Yumihiko gave a little sigh of relief, and Cecilia smiled at her sister's logic. Nora's hands relaxed, lying flat against the table. Westenberg grinned and shot a thumbs-up in Rosemary's direction. "Good job, Rosey," he said.

"Oh, shut it."

"What Rosemary says is correct," Edgeworth said, halting the potential argument in its tracks. "Since this rule is something that doesn't apply to us, it's not something we should have to worry about. However, if Cesare chooses to retreat back to Europe, we won't be able to do anything about it, even with solid evidence."

"It's almost like the Embassy incident all over again…" Cecilia said. "But we succeeded the last time, Miles. I'm certain that will be able to win this case if we don't give up."

"What about the second piece of information?" Nora asked. "If the problem is that we're running out of clues, maybe this will give us a hint. I know you said that it isn't exactly useful, but that doesn't mean it won't help us figure something out later."

Yumihiko cleared his throat. "According to Free-san, Cesare is not a family that acts on its own," he said. "While the Cesare line are the only ones that actually kill people, separate families serve as the middlemen between clients and assassins. They set the prices, determine the details, and make the deals. While the families are all related, they've spread themselves across Europe pretty far so it's impossible to tell who the head family is anymore."

"Miss Free sent us a list of family names that are confirmed to be associated with Cesare," Edgeworth said. He shuffled through his papers, passing packets around the room. Everyone busied themselves with skimming over the names. "While I was looking over it, I didn't see anything useful, but she insisted that it would be helpful. I decided it was better than nothing and decided to let you all take a look at it yourselves."

Yumihiko was only halfway through the list when Westenberg sighed. "I don't see anything, either," the detective said. "And she really didn't say anything else?" Both prosecutors shook their heads. "Ugh, this isn't like Millie, she's usually worth something good. Then again…" He pulled a pen out of his pocket and started going over the list again. "She could be playing a game with us, hiding the information in here. Is it code? Dammit, this is important we don't have time for this…"

"Um, Detective, are you sure that's likely?" Cecilia said. "I don't know much about this woman, but if she is an associate of yours, wouldn't she understand the importance of this situation? It's no time for games and she would have just told us—"

Westenberg shook his head with such force that his hair was a blur of red. "Nope, that's not how she works at all," he said, rejecting the concept. "She takes her job seriously, but her definition of serious is way different than any normal person's. Even with her most important clients she makes them work for it, putting in little hints and clues. Sometimes it's a riddle, or a code, or something only one person would know. _That's_ how much she knows about the people she's working with."

"She sounds more like she doesn't exist," Rosemary muttered, but crossed over to the table anyway. She took her sister's copy of the list, starting to read over it. Westenberg ignored the comment, turning back to his own list and starting to scribble out code options on the backs of the pages. Yumihiko turned to his own copy to finish reading it.

_Something only one of us would know…_

"Got it," Nora announced. She reached across the table and took the detective's pen from his hand, taking it back to her own copy of the list.

"Huh? No way," Westenberg said, starting to pout in mock disappointment. From the look in his eyes, though, it was obvious he was excited. Everyone in the room focused their attention onto the British girl. After a few moments, she tossed the list to the center of the table with one name circled.

_Ryers._

"That's not much of a code," Yumihiko said without thinking. Westenberg seemed to be sharing his thoughts, picking up the list and turning to other pages to see if anything else was circled. The young prosecutor looked back to Nora, and the girl sighed.

"That's 'cause it's not a code, just a name," she said. "Something only one of us should be able to recognize, right? Except this informant can't know everything about our lives, so she would be completely clueless as to what happened with us this afternoon." She looked Yumihiko in the eyes. "Which is when I gave you the answer."

Yumihiko wracked his brain, trying to figure it out. Everyone was watching him expectantly, waiting for an answer. He didn't want to say anything without thinking about it, but he didn't want to not give an answer, either. Still not able to come up with anything, he shook his head. "I don't…"

Nora sighed. "Come on, Yumi, it's the beginning of the story. Once upon a time, Nathaniel Southway and—" she started, prompting Yumihiko to finish with a gesture of her hand.

"Nathaniel Southway and Lillian Ryers married each other—" he said, almost like reciting something out of a fairytale, but stopped partway through the sentence. _—and Lillian Ryers married each—_

—_Lillian Ryers married—_

—_Lillian Ryers—_

"Lillian," he whispered, and Nora nodded.

The girl seemed to notice that everyone was staring at the couple and stood up straight. She seemed perfectly at place at the head of the table. "Ryers is my step-mother's maiden name," she said. The rest of the room gained looks of understanding. "I know it's not exactly a rare name, so it may be some other Ryers family that's involved with Cesare. But that doesn't change the fact that this is something only one of us would pick up on, right?"

Westenberg nodded, a wide smile forming on his face. "Yeah, that's how Millie is," he said. He tossed the stack of papers over his shoulder and Edgeworth winced. "This entire list could have been one red herring to give us this one name. I wouldn't be surprised if she was just reading off a name generator the entire time she was giving you this."

Edgeworth didn't seem very enthused by the idea, and Yumihiko couldn't blame him.

"So then, Mrs. Southway has something to do with this…" Cecilia said. She was looking down at her lap. "Oh, Nora, I'm so sorry. For us to realize this at a time like this…" She seemed on the verge of tears. Yumihiko looked over to Nora.

_A time like this? Isn't this good?_

"Nah, this is perfect," Nora said, taking the idea that her step-mother was trying to kill her in stride. She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, tossing it onto the table like the packet before it. Yumihiko resisted the urge to take it himself as everyone else leaned in to read it.

_Nora,_

_I understand that we've had some differences about your future, and I would like to apologize for that. If it would be possible, I would like to meet up to discuss matters, just me and you. I'm certain that if we work with each other, instead of against, we should be able to come up with a solution where everyone is happy._

_I've made reservations for brunch at a café uptown tomorrow morning. Would you please come—?_

"No way," Yumihiko said. "You've gotta be kidding me." He looked up to Nora and the girl nodded. She wasn't looking at him, though. "Absolutely not! Do you think it's okay to do something so dangerous?! I'm not going to just let you—!"

"Yumi, I—"

Yumihiko stood up, a hand hitting against the table. The next second his baton was flourished, pointing across the table. "_Igiari!_" he shouted, slipping back into his first language. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes. "No, you just can't, Nora! I won't allow it! There's no guarantee it'll work and she'll get away! You could get hurt! I already lost you once, I'm not—!"

"Ichiyanagi-san," a voice said. It was Cecilia, and she was frowning at the boy from her seat. "Please listen to Nora. She has her reasons for needing to do this. I understand you're concerned but you need to support her. That's what the life you want is like, alright?" The woman smiled on the last word, and Yumihiko lowered his arm.

"Yumi, I just—" Nora faltered, turning away from him to address the rest of the table. "Everyone, I was intending to talk to Lillian tomorrow to settle some things," she said. "She and I have been arguing about me going home, and that's not something I want to do. I _was_ going to ask if I could have permission to take a break from the investigation tomorrow morning to settle things."

Everyone else nodded. Yumihiko still felt guilty, his eyes locked on a scratch on the side of the table.

"I would still like to go. However, if what your informant has given us is true, then we can take precautions. I can talk to her, see if I can change her mind. At the same time I can try to get a confession out of her, try to see if she's responsible for Perry's death. If we have police ready in case something goes wrong and recording equipment set up to catch her slip up if it happens, it should be fine, right?"

Edgeworth seemed lost in consideration for a few moments. "I see no issues with this plan," he said. "It should serve our purposes, and if not we won't have to do anything. If that's the case, I hope you're prepared to have a long conversation with Ms. Free, Detective." Westenberg nodded. "That being said, should it be possible for the police?"

"We already have enough people set up as escorts and guards for the lot of us to man that operation. It's totally doable, especially with the time we have to prepare," the detective said. Yumihiko almost scowled, wanting to tell Westenberg to put more thought in it than that. The redhead flashed a grin and a thumbs-up. "If we're all in agreement then I can go and start to get things prepared."

Westenberg looked at Yumihiko, putting the young prosecutor on the spot. He tried to look at Nora again, and this time she was staring back at him, locking their eyes together. She seemed tired and full of energy at the same time. He just felt tired.

Slowly, she raised her hands up to take hold of his. "Yumi," was all she said.

"I don't want you to do it," he whispered. The tears were already choking his voice without even falling. "I know, I know. It's stupid and selfish and it's hindering the case. But doing this is dangerous and I can't just let you put yourself in danger when you could _die_ and—" His voice cracked, and Nora pulled him into a hug.

"Shh, Yumi, shh…" she said, her voice just as quiet. "There's no way we're going to get out of this case without putting ourselves in danger, though. And it's so much better to do things on our terms instead of hers and…" She swallowed. "I'm sorry, Yumihiko, I know there's a less dangerous way to do this, but it's a battle I want to fight on my own. I need to stand up to her or I'm going to feel stuck under her shadow still." Nora pulled back a bit, leaning her forehead against his. Her eyes were close, bright green and shining. "But I promise if I need you I'll call for you, Yumihiko. I promise."

Yumihiko nodded once, then twice. He pulled away enough from the hug to wipe his eyes. "Alright," he said. Westenberg went to leave the room, seeming pleased. Both Edgeworth and Cecilia had smiles on their faces, despite the situation they were in. Rosemary could only roll her eyes.

"I gotta say, Southway, I didn't expect something like this out of you," she commented. "I wouldn't expect this out of anyone. Usually when people encounter someone close to them in a scenario like this, they try to play a bit nicer. This is just downright dirty."

Nora only shook her head. "We're not going to get anywhere playing nice," she said. Her fingers slipped in-between Yumihiko's, just the same as two years ago. He squeezed, satisfied with how familiar the sensation was to him. "So let's get ugly."

* * *

><p>June 20, 2021, 10:48 AM<p>

Très Bien

* * *

><p>"Did you honestly think," Nora said, her voice growing stronger, "that I would <em>ever<em> go back?" She stood up, fists clenching at her sides. For once, it was more out of anger than stress. "We were lucky. We got a lead that tipped us off to what you were really doing. But even if I didn't know that, if I didn't know you were trying to kill me and had prepared for that… Even if you pointed that gun at me and I didn't know I _still_ would have said no!"

Lillian stood up as well, backing up until she hit against the compartment wall. The gun was still in her hand, pointed in Nora's direction, but her arm was shaking. "Wh… What are you talking about?" she asked. "What did you do…? Answer me, Heather!"

She was screaming now, but Nora felt no pity. Hearing her given name from Lillian's mouth was enough to make her feel sick, but she stood her ground. "With all the money you spent on my education, I was hoping you'd give me a little bit more credit, Lillian. The police are here. We've been bugging this whole conversation. We have your confession that you killed Rosannah Perry. In other words, _it's over_."

"N-no, you're lying! You didn't—!" Lillian couldn't form a proper sentence, tears choking her voice. In direct contradiction of her words, Garnet pushed open the door to the compartment, a few other officers behind him. The gun was taken from Lillian in seconds, her arms secured with handcuffs. "How could you? I was just trying to help you, Heather, please! _Nora!_"

"I said it's over!" Nora shouted. The volume was enough to bring her step-mother to silence. "I don't just mean this case. Our family, your lies, my time with you, the farce that you could ever be my mother. That's all done, Lillian. So just let it go…"

The only thing she could hear was Lillian sobbing. The sound echoed in her ears even after the cops pulled her step-mother out of the compartment, out of the restaurant. Nora's nails dug into her hands until she felt like the skin would break.

"It's over…" she whispered. If anything, she was trying to convince herself. "It's all over…"

And before she even knew it, Yumihiko was at her side, his hand in hers, his arm around her.

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Continued<strong>

* * *

><p>And there you have it, the main climax and conclusion to this whole mess. Was the twist good? Did I manage to make Lilian more than a stock evil step-mother? I had a lot of goals in mind for this story, do you think I managed to pull them off?<p>

Also, did everyone have a good Thanksgiving? I'm so ready for Christmas break. I just had a big presentation today, so that's one less thing to do before school lets out for me...

Next time, the arrest concludes, Nora talks with her father, and a catharsis is reached. Please look forward to it!

120713 [EDIT]


	20. Chapter 19: What the Future Holds

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Chapter 19: What the Future Holds

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><p>June 20, 2021, 11:37 AM<p>

Trés Bien

* * *

><p>Once Garnet had made sure Lillian Southway was safe and secure inside the police car, all his friends were safe, and the evidence tape of the conversation they had just recorded was backed up in at least three different places, he finally allowed himself to relax. While the case was as good as in the bag, he wasn't taking any chances. In this job, almost everything that could go wrong usually seemed to do so.<p>

But nothing went wrong. No assassins came out of nowhere and swept up their perp. In his paranoia, Garnet kept in contact with the cops in charge of taking Lillian back to the station over the radio. Nothing bad happened there either. Everything was fine.

"An officer that's made a successful arrest should look more satisfied, Detective," Cecilia said. Garnet turned around to face the woman and saw her smiling. Behind her, Edgeworth was confirming that the necessary evidence was collected with another officer. Aside from the usual commotion outside of where the police cars had gathered and the owner of the restaurant fussing over when he would be able to open up shop again, everything was peaceful. Without even realizing it, Garnet felt himself grinning. "That's better. You look so much better when you're smiling, Detective Westenberg."

Garnet scratched at the back of his head without there being anything to itch. "Yeah well… It's still kind of sinking in that this is over," he admitted. "It's been a hectic couple of days so I need to let the adrenaline get out of my system before I can properly relax."

"Shouldn't a cop be way more used to this sort of thing?"

Rosemary had been with the police escort earlier, and was more than likely taking the chance to walk around freely for the first time in a few days. However, instead of excited, she looked more annoyed than anything. It was amazing how two siblings who looked so much alike could still be completely different people.

"Ah, I guess I should be, huh?" Garnet asked, putting some serious consideration into the words. Rosemary didn't seem satisfied with the response and scoffed. "Anyway, thanks for your cooperation. Sorry for all the trouble we had to put you through, Rosey."

"I expect you to make up for the two days of summer vacation you took away from me," Rosemary countered. "Since this was part of my own fault though, you get to make the same payment and I won't disembowel you in front of your colleges for still calling me that when I've asked you nicely not to."

_Just what part of threatening me is asking nicely?_ Garnet thought. Not wanting to make the situation worse, he said, "I thought the punishment was castrating…"

"The punishments get increasingly worse each time you use it. In addition, you have to endure all previous punishments as well." Noticing Cecilia's worried expression, Rosemary looked away and pouted. It was cute, but Garnet wasn't about to risk any more of his health on the compliment. "Not that it matters. It really wasn't much too bad for getting a free escort around everywhere. There are worse ways to spend time. And besides…

"I'm not really the person you should be worrying about."

Garnet felt his smile drop as he realized she place where Nora and Ichiyanagi should be was empty.

* * *

><p>June 20, 2021, 11:43 AM<p>

Vitamin Square

* * *

><p>Nora sat outside, on one of the strange park's orange-shaped seats. She had hoped that going outside would help her clear her head, but it hadn't been as effective as she would have liked. While she should feel happy about what had just happened, she didn't. By all respects, she was now free. She didn't have to worry about everything that had been holding her back.<p>

Except it wasn't. It didn't matter if they had solved the case, if she had told off Lillian, if she knew why Lillian had done everything in her power to change her step-daughter. Because even if Nora had found out that Lillian had been the one to sign the order on her mother's life, she still didn't know _why that request had been made._

"There you are, Nora!" It was Nathaniel. The head of the Southway family had been called at some point to let him know that his wife had been arrested and the charges. Consequently, he wasn't put together at all, his clothes wrinkled from hastily being put on too fast, his already curly hair a mess. "Are you alright? One of the officers told me what happened. I can't believe—"

"Stop, Dad," Nora said without thinking. She didn't want to be comforted, to be fussed over. It was too late for that. She wanted to be alone, to think, or at least pretend to. "Just stop. It doesn't matter, so just…it's really just better if you don't."

On top of everything else, Nathaniel looked tired. Nora should've offered to let him sit beside her but she didn't. "Nora…" He stared at his daughter for some time, taking a deep breath. "I think you should come home, Nora. I know Lillian hasn't made it a place you like being, but that's over now. Things will be different."

Nora shook her head. "I don't want things to be different. You always left me alone, let me do what I wanted as long as Lillian wasn't making suggestions. Well, she's not going to suggest anything anymore, so you can just do what you've been doing for the past twelve years and let me do what I want and stay here. Send me my things and that'll be the end of it. Aside from obligatory calls at Christmas and birthdays, you won't have to deal with me anymore." She knew what she was saying was harsh. A kid shouldn't feel like they needed to talk to their parents this way. But she did.

"That's not what I want!" Nathaniel exclaimed. He was a lot like Lillian, the way she had been invested in some idea of a family that wasn't really there. Nora felt sorry for him. "I want to give you a place to stay, so you don't have to worry about anything! You deserve a proper home, Nora, especially after today—"

"Will you stop calling me that? It's not my name. You know it's not." Even though she felt like screaming on the inside, Nora's voice was calm. They weren't related, but she was a lot like Lillian, too. "I'm not your and Lillian's daughter. My mother was Marisa Kaleigh. She was my family. If you can't recognize that I'm not Nora, I really think you should just let me go. It's not good for either of us.

"Besides, I've found a family right here."

Behind her father, Nora could see Yumihiko standing by the back entrance to the café. He seemed to hesitate, staying by the doorway. She gave a small smile to him, then turned back to her father.

"But you can't just—" Nathaniel stopped in mid-sentence, staring Nora in the eyes. "Are you sure there's nothing I can say or do that will convince you to come back with me? I don't want to lose you like this. It's far too sudden."

Despite her best interests, Nora laughed softly. "No, no, this has been coming a long time. Two years at least." Nathaniel frowned at how lightly she was taking the idea, and Nora reminded herself to be more serious. "I know it's hard for you, but I am at the age where I should be moving out anyway, so we'll just look at it that way if it will make you feel better. So, I guess my last request as your daughter would be for you to give me your blessing for this new life of mine."

There was a moment of silence. Nathaniel sighed in the end. "Alright," he said. The reluctance was obvious. She could see it in his shoulders. "I guess I really don't have a choice here. I'd just get made fun of if I couldn't let my daughter go at this age. By Leopold none the less." Even the smile he was giving was forced, the same as the one Nora was wearing. "Just please keep in contact with me so I know you're doing well. And do your father the favor of letting me know when you decide to get married, alright?"

Nathaniel gave a soft laugh when Nora's face flushed and walked off without saying another word, heading back into Trés Bien. She felt herself wanting to cry, but Yumihiko was walking towards her.

"Stupid Dad," Nora muttered, "where does he get off saying something like that…?"

* * *

><p>Yumihiko was in the same spot as Nathaniel a few seconds later, looking just as hesitant as Nora's father had been before. Nora looked up to him and smiled—not the forced kind, a little bit weak, but not forced—and patted the spot next to her with the palm of her hand. Yumihiko took the gesture and sat beside her, where their hands locked together almost instantly.<p>

"Nora I…" Yumihiko whispered, not able to finish a sentence. Nora laughed a little, squeezing his fingers.

"Isn't it crazy?" she asked. "He's a completely different person when he's not entertaining guests. It's nice that he really loves the people around him to break down his barriers if they're in trouble, but it would be way more impressive if he found a way to show his affection without being completely distant, don't you think? I bet trying to manage that kind of duality's exhausting. There's no way I could keep that up."

Yumihiko didn't say anything, though he opened his mouth a few times to try and come up with a response. Nora leaned over, her head resting on Yumihiko's shoulder. "Yumi, what am I supposed to do? I can't even manage being one person and I'm stuck between two. I can't even keep a proper name when I look at myself."

"That stuff… about your name," Yumihiko said. His voice was hesitant, almost shaking. "You mentioned it now and back there. She called you Heather." Nora winced a bit, more from hearing her name from Yumihiko than at the mention of her step-mother. "I would like to know what that was all about. I think you forgot it when you were telling me the story."

Nora sat up, her shoulders slumping. She felt bad about hiding it, but at the same time she hadn't come to terms with it. She would have liked to call herself that, but the coroner's license that had been necessary to meet everyone said otherwise. The issue had been pushed aside, just like every other time before.

"When I was born, Mum named me Heather," she explained. "Heather Blossom Kaleigh. But when Lillian and Nathaniel adopted me, she convinced him to rename me after her first daughter. I became Nora Southway, except I didn't want to be. So they let me keep my name as a double-middle name, and I was satisfied with that. I introduced myself all the way at first cause I thought it was cool, then to prove I was still me, but…"

Nora felt herself starting to cry and decided to deal with it. She at least deserved to cry a little bit, right? After this she would stop, but for now it was fine. If she got all her tears out now they wouldn't get in the way later.

"I'm not Nora, Yumi. I never have been. I'm not a Southway anymore, either. At least for a while I was, but I don't want to be anymore either."

"So then you go back to your given name," Yumihiko said. He held a surprising amount of conviction for just coming up with the idea. Then again, that was always how it had been, so there was no reason for it to change now.

Nora shook her head. "No, it's not that simple. I mean, sure, I should be Heather. I should be Heather Blossom Kaleigh and it should be fine. But… am I really allowed to be a Kaleigh anymore? That person stopped existing when she looked at her mother's corpse on an autopsy table and told the coroners to check for poisoning." She laughed bitterly, the sound choking with tears.

"Then we just need to get you a new name!" Yumihiko stood up, almost setting Nora off balance. "You can pick out one you like or even one at random! I'll even give you mine if that's what it takes for you to be happy!" He inhaled, taking the chance to lower his voice. "But if you ask me, you've worked just as hard as your mother did, so you should share her family name with pride. And the name Heather suits you way better than Nora does, anyway."

The last part was a ridiculous add-on, completely derailed from the rest of the mood and conversation. Nora giggled a bit, the sound going into pure laughter seconds later. From how it sounded, she couldn't tell if she was still crying or not. Probably both.

"You really think so…" she muttered. Yumihiko nodded, offering his hand out. Nora took it, standing up as their hands came together, but was still looking at the ground. "Thank you." She looked up, seeing Yumihiko through glasses clouded by her tears. "Thank you, Yumi, for everything you've done. I think maybe I needed someone to tell me I deserved to be someone, so thank you…"

"You do deserve to be someone," Yumihiko said, pulling her into a hug. "So let's just keep being someones together. Everything will work out a lot better that way."

Nora laughed, her voice muffled in Yumihiko's shoulder. "I think I'd be happy with that."

* * *

><p>After a lot of tears, snot, and identification of what direction which limb would go to get undone from a hug, Nora decided to that taking a walk was what she wanted to do. She hadn't had the chance to move around properly since the hospital, and her legs needed a stretch from all the lack of action in the past few days. The undertone that getting away from the café as what she really wanted was noted, then not spoken of.<p>

It was amazing how many times they had actually held hands, despite the short amount of time they got to spend together. It almost made Yumihiko happy on an outrageously giddy level, how natural it seemed to be. Nora's hand fit perfectly in his, and his fit perfectly in hers. It was as simple as that. Their arms swung in unison where their fingers locked as they walked the streets of Los Angeles without paying attention to where they were going.

"The next few days are going to be really busy," Nora said, then sighed. "I'm sorry, Yumi, because of my disaster of a life, you don't get a single day of rest for a while. Though I guess the fact that I'm going to be just as busy for my involvement makes up for it. Still, I feel bad, since all I wanted to do was going to come and see you."

Yumihiko blushed slightly, but focused on trying to reassure Nora before getting far too flustered to even speak properly. "Don't apologize," he said. "I'm the one that invited you, and you came, so we're both equally to blame. We got into this mess together so let's finish it together."

"And then move onto the next one, right?" Nora laughed. Even though there were still bags under her eyes, she looked a lot healthier. Happier even. It was almost like she had skipped over the part where you were supposed to go into shock after something like this and moved onto the next phase in life, whatever that was. "Man, I'm so exhausted I just want to sleep for a week! Why is there so much left to _do_?"

"Well, both trials start tomorrow," Yumihiko tried. "You'll be called in to do the autopsy report for Miss Perry's case, then be a witness for the prosecution against the attempts on your life. Prosecutor Edgeworth is confident that he can wrap up his case in one trial day, and I should be able to manage mine in two." He smiled, hoping it was reassuring. "Besides, you just need to state the facts. All the hard work will be taken care of by us prosecutors and the police department, so you don't have to worry."

"Hm, I guess testifying about our reports is part of what we were taught in school, so I should be fine there. But wait, what if the American courts expect things to be presented differently? I really should have taken international law studies considering what I knew I was getting myself into… Hah, forget it, if those wankers don't like it then they can deal! I'd like to see them _try_ to complain to Dr. Itami! She's technically my supervisor after all!"

Yumihiko smiled nervously. "Well, I really don't think that you should call them wankers," he said. Nora looked at him, and he could have sworn that she looked disappointed. "But I _do_ think that you should stop worrying so much. It'll do you no good to work yourself up so bad that you won't be able to relax."

"Ah, that sounds like something you would do, Yumi. Speaking from personal experience?" When Yumihiko blushed in confirmation, Nora laughed. The sound died down quickly, and she flashed him one of her sad smiles. "Sorry, Yumi, I just keep worrying that if I don't go full speed then it's just going to be some weird fantasy or dream I've been living for the past few days. It'll take me a bit to accept it."

Yumihiko stopped in his tracks, the force of Nora moving on pulling at his arm before she stopped too. The British girl looked back to him, a curious look in her eyes. Yumihiko let the filter on his thoughts disappear from the place it inhabited en route to his mouth.

"Please don't feel that way!" he shouted. "I know it seems like a dream, but I'm not going to let this disappear for you! Even if I have to be the one living the fantasy while you rest, I'll do it!" Yumihiko took a few deep breaths, reminding himself to lock his eyes with hers. "I know that's really silly to say, but I wanted to say it. If it makes you feel better. But the truth of the matter of it is that it's not a dream. It'll still be here when you wake up, Heather."

At the use of the name, her expression altered instantly. She was smiling as she nodded, as her eyes filled up with happy tears. Yumihiko placed a kiss on her forehead before they headed for the apartment, and she placed one on his lips before she laid down to go to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>To Be Concluded<strong>

* * *

><p>And there we go! There's only the epilogue left in this to go~. And then, well... We'll discuss that next time.<p>

This is actually the last of my queue of things I wanted to post... I should probably stop wasting time and try and write something else before I get sent away from the internet for winter break.

Next up is the epilogue! Please look forward to it!

120913 [EDIT]


	21. Epilogue: Glad You Came

**All That Counts**

By: Aviantei

Epilogue: Glad You Came

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><p>June 24, 2021, 12:03 PM<p>

Cornerturn Café, Outside Terrace

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><p>Heather Kaleigh sat at one of the tables that the restaurant had placed outside, a light breeze blowing past her. It was a small relief from the heat, just like the umbrella overhead, but it was nice enough. She sipped on her drink, hoping that would be enough to keep the heat from overtaking her. After living almost her entire life in rainy England, she hadn't realized how much of a change the weather was in California until she had finally been able to sit down and stop moving to pay attention to her surroundings for once.<p>

It was a pleasant change, at least. Almost symbolic, and she crinkled her nose at the thought. Heather had never been a fan of the principle whenever she had to study literature, and she certainly didn't appreciate applying it to her own life now.

The train of thought was dislodged as the chair across from her was treated to the same fate, its future occupant almost knocking it over into the next table. Yumihiko, dressed up in way more casual clothes than Heather was used to, caught the chair, almost falling over as he went to sit down in it. The prosecutor was gasping for air, and Heather raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry—I'm—late…" Yumihiko said, the words coming out between breaths.

"How is it that you're the one that ended up being late when you had the day off?" Heather asked, almost pouting. "I had to work hard to fill my quota before I could come out here, and you just had to sit around and watch the clock. It's not fair to make a lady wait, you know."

"Th-there was traffic, and—and I—" Yumihiko was tense, but started to relax once Heather smiled at him. "I'm sorry and it won't happen again, Heather."

"I forgive you."

The waiter walked up, asking if they wanted more time. Yumihiko made a hasty decision for both his meal and drink, and Heather ordered the current special. The waiter retreated, and Yumihiko was beaming at Heather, his face nearly overflowing with excitement as his leaned across the table. "So, how was it? Is the job working out?"

Heather laughed, a smile forming on her own lips. "Relax, Yumi, I'm not even through with my first day, yet," she said. "Since Itami-sensei runs the hospital, I got hired in no time. I've already had two bodies to look over today, although one of them was from a patient that ended up passing and her family wanted to confirm there wasn't anything they could have done to reverse the cause of death." Yumihiko grimaced a little, and Heather sighed. "It's been interesting, at least. Although I might get a little concerned if there's a murder victim in my office every day. Don't the people here realize that there are better ways to commit crimes that don't involve ending someone's life?"

"If there weren't, I think both of our career paths would be a lot less lucrative," Yumihiko said. He was frowning while he said it, and the serious tone made Heather uneasy.

"Speaking of our professions, you sure have gotten impressive there, Yumi," she said. Yumihiko instantly blushed at the words, the baton suddenly being bent between his fingers under the table. Heather smiled. "Just like always, you let your guts power you in the trial. The defense didn't even stand a chance, not that they could have gotten her an acquittal anyway."

"You did well, too!" Yumihiko exclaimed. "I know that the autopsy report isn't usually a place where the defense can object, but they didn't even need to ask you to expand on anything. I think that they were just impressed that you even found the poison in the first place."

Heather's own cheeks were turning red, not used to the praise. In the end, both of Lillian's trials had ended in her gaining a guilty verdict, a life sentence, as well as extra years on top of that. It had been a satisfying finale, even though Lillian hadn't seemed interested in gaining a victory for her side either. She had been more than just cold and distant—she had been unresponsive. If her intentions had been to unnerve everyone, it had worked.

But that was over. Lillian was behind bars. Heather was where she wanted to be.

"But putting that aside, there's something I wanted to bring up to you," Heather said.

"What is it?"

"About all that stuff you said the other day, about me taking your name if I needed to. Did you happen to pick up that marriage proposal from Garnet, or is it an Ichiyanagi original?" The waiter passed by the table and gave Yumihiko his drink, promising that their food would be out soon. Yumihiko flushed a deep red, immediately burying his face into his drink seconds later. "Did you mean for that to happen, or did it just come out that way?"

"Um, I… I mean it was an accident, but I wouldn't mind… I-I mean, it was really only to make you feel better, I promise! But if that's what you want, we _can_ get married. I mean, only if you want to! I'm sorry, this is terrible, let me start over—"

Heather reached a hand across the table, putting a finger over Yumihiko's lips. "Yumi, hush," she said. Yumihiko instantly fell silent, though his eyes were still filled with worry. "I was just teasing you. I don't think I'm ready to be married just yet. But if you don't mind waiting for a while, I think I can handle having a fiancé for now."

"A-alright!" Yumihiko was smiling, his grin practically breaking off his face. "You're right, we should probably start planning before we do anything, and not to mention we'll need to reserve a location and—" He caught the look on Heather's face and stopped, a sheepish smile on his face. "Right. We can talk about this later. Sorry."

"I just got my medical license renewed with my new name. Baby steps, Yumi. At least let's have a normal conversation over lunch while we still can."

"Will do."

"Oh, and Yumi?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you came for me."

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><p><strong>To Be Continued in <strong>_**Mothers**_

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><p>And, finally, this story has reached its end. It's a long and overdue end, but it is still an end.<p>

A special thanks to Artofskating for your favorite and follow on this story. The same applies to anybody that did the same or reviewed. I figured this story wouldn't get much traffic due to its GK2 content, but I'm glad some people enjoyed reading it anyways. I hope people can look forward to the sequel.

Yes, sequel. I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but there will be a sequel, titled _Mothers_. That particular story is still in production, but it will one day be posted. If you're interested, I'd keep an eye on my blog for information. There will also eventually be stories about Cecilia and Garnet, explaining more of their backstories and the roles they hold. In all reality, I probably should have started with Cecilia and Imaiku, since they have the earliest timeline points, but it's too late for that now.

I will also be using this story as my revision practice monkey. Not much of the actual story will change, but I hope to maybe improve the writing, plus get some practice in on actually revising a completed work, since I need it. If you're interested in being an editor for this sort of thing, leave a review or send a PM and let me know!

It's kind of silly, but for the first time in my five years on fanfiction, this will be the first major project I've finished all the way to the end. Hopefully, it will be the first of many.

Thanks again for all the support! I hope to see you in _Mothers_!

Aviantei

[POST] 050714


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